Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure
by Moon Lily91
Summary: I'm from good, old Pallet Town. My neighbors, who consist of an arrogant jerk and a mostly quiet serious guy, get a Pokemon, including me. Irritating Pokedexes, weird Pokemon, and straight-out craziness will make this adventure unforgettable!
1. The Start of an Adventure!

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

I stared at the vast blue sky above me, watching white clouds float on by. I lazily felt the grass with my hand, ripping out a few blades. My white hat was angled so that it could keep the sun out of my eyes. I wore a light blue shirt that had black around the collar, and a knee length red skirt. My shoes were red and white, and my socks were a light blue, which ended in the middle of my calf. Before, I normally wore dark clothes, but since I've become very optimistic, I changed my sense of style.

I closed my eyes, taking in the tranquility of the moment. Of course, all good things must come to an end. That end came in the form of cold water hitting my face. I sat up immediately, shocked of how unexpected the water was. I mean, really… How could I have known water will wake me up from my relaxation? Especially with my eyes closed?

I looked around, but there was no one there. I looked behind me, and lo and behold! One of my neighbors, Blue, stood there, holding a plastic cup. My obvious guess is that the cup held the water that so rudely trashed my mellow vibes. Hm, I kind of sound like a hippie… Anyway, I did the only sensible thing one would do when water has been dumped on said person.

"What the hell is the matter with you," I yelled at him, standing up.

"Nothing, really," he replied with a smirk. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt with a collar, and blue pants. He had a necklace with a silver pendant, and bluish-gray wrist bands. He also had black shoes, and light brown hair. He had that condescending look on his face that he always has whenever he's around me. It just makes me want to punch him in the face. He thinks he so much better than me when in reality… He actually is. Seriously, I can never beat him at anything! And that just adds to my frustration with him.

"What do you want, Blue," I asked him, glaring at him.

"Well, I was on a walk to my grandfather's lab when I spotted you all the way over here."

Curse his hawk-like vision!

"I also happened to be drinking water, and decided to add more humiliation to you," he continued.

"Oh, you little— Wait… _More_ humiliation?"

He smirked in that I'm-far-more-superior-than-you sort of way, which made me want to kick him so hard in the balls that he won't spawn another shit like him. One of him is enough!

"My grandfather called me over to his lab because he believes I'm ready to have Pokémon. I'll have a Pokémon before you! Smell ya later!"

He walked away, leaving me alone to wallow in fury. I kicked at the grass and stomped on the floor, smashing the grass flat. I could not freaking believe it! How could he, a total douche, have a Pokémon before me? I don't treat people like scum like he does, and I sure as hell don't brag about being better. This is seriously so messed up! It was completely unfair! I picked up a few rocks and began to randomly chuck them everywhere.

I was the one who began to study about Pokémon since I was able to read, when I was four! He started to because I was, and he had the best source of all: His grandfather! It felt like all my studying, all the time I've spent being nice to people, and all the hopes I had of finding something that I'll be better at than him were all crushed before my eyes. This world sucks ass!

"Hey, are you okay," asked a voice behind me. I stopped my rampaging fury and turned around, meeting another one of my neighbors. Red was his name— _Is_ his name. He wore a black and red hat, which had a pokeball symbol on it, on a mess of black hair. His shirt was also black and red with a small tinge of white; and black wrist bands. His pants were blue, and his shoes black and red, too. Part of my mind thinks that he wants to look badass wearing black and red.

I can understand that since Blue A.K.A Douche sometimes picks on him whenever I'm not around. However, I don't think that it's working since Douche is torturing us both. I did my best to calm myself before answering him.

"No, I'm not okay," I replied, horribly failing at controlling my angry tone. "That freaking Douche is getting a Pokémon today! This blows!"

"He is? Damn… Talk about lucky."

"You're not helping!"

"Oh, sorry. But, it's not like we can do anything about it. His grandfather _is_ Professor Oak."

"Again, you're not helping," I told him, turning my back on him. I then looked at the road that leads out of our small town. Seeing the tall grass, an insane idea sparked in my mind.

"I'm going to catch one," I said, more to myself than to him.

"Are you talking about Pokémon? You don't have any pokeballs, and how do you expect to catch one without having one yourself?"

"I'm going to wrangle one! Plus, I'm feeling lucky."

"Do you even know how to wrangle a Pokémon?"

"No, but I can learn!"

I looked over my shoulder to see his expression, which was full of worry. I looked ahead, took a deep breath, and walked toward the tall grass. I could hear Red following me as I walked. I stopped before the tall grass, listening for any Pokémon that may be hiding in it. There was nothing but silence, save for the sound of the wind.

"Leaf, you don't have to do this," said Red. "We could just wait. Our chance will come. All we have to do is be patient."

"Sometimes, you got to take chances," I said, taking my first step into the grass.

"Wait! Don't go in there," yelled a familiar voice.

I stopped, and both I and Red looked back to the source of the voice. To our surprise, Professor Oak ran towards us. When he reached us, he looked out of breath.

"You really shouldn't go in the grass," he said, breathlessly. "The wild Pokémon hiding there may attack you."

"So, did you run over here to give us a lesson in safety, or what," I asked him.

"Actually," he said, regaining his composure. "I was looking for both of you at your houses."

That is kind of creepy.

"But, since you weren't there," he continued. "I started to look around the town for you. I'm lucky to find you two here!"

This is getting creepier by the minute, and I wanted to bolt out of there.

"Um, why were you looking for us," asked Red.

"Oh, my apologies. I have three Pokémon in my lab at the moment, and I believe Blue, as well as you two, are ready to have your first Pokémon."

"You waited fifteen years to give us Pokémon," I stated, finding it rather incredible. "Why not sooner?"

"Well, I _was_ going to give you Pokémon when you were all ten, but… I later discovered that that would be very irresponsible of me to trust you with dangerous creatures, as well as the creatures out in the world."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Now, we should head over to my lab. Blue is probably impatient that I'm not there."

The three of us walked to the Professor's lab, and I felt very excited to have my first Pokémon. At last, all my years of waiting have finally paid off! We entered the lab and I could already see Douche looking rather peeved. I could give him that condescending look he usually gives me, but I'm better than that. I wouldn't want to stoop down to his level. Inside, there were machines and computers here and there. I've only been in the lab seven times at most in my life. However, the one thing that really caught my eye was the three pokeballs on a small, rectangular table.

"In my youth," began Professor Oak. "I've always wanted to see all of the Pokémon in the world and research them. However, I've never been able to do so. I would like the three of you to catalogue every Pokémon there is. You will help me to achieve my dream, and improve my research.

He pointed to the three pokeballs and said, "Now, I want you to go pick a Pokémon to call your own and start your adventure."

I couldn't help but think that the last part was kind of cheesy.

"I think I should go first since I'm his grandson, after all," said Douche rather arrogantly.

"Blue! Have you no manners? Ladies are always first," said Oak.

"All right," I said, running up to the table. "Uh… How do I know which pokeball has what kind of Pokémon?"

"The first pokeball holds Bulbasaur, a grass type. The second holds Squirtle, a water type. The third pokeball holds Charmander, a fire type."

"This one," I yelled happily, holding the pokeball close to me. "I totally want this one. I can't wait to start burning things down!"

"Er—What?"

"So, you picked the fire type," said Douche, walking up to the second pokeball. "I guess I'll take the water type. Let's have a little battle, Leaf!"

What a fucking Douche. Whatever, I'll take him on! Wait a minute… Water + Fire= Extinguished fire! Holy crap! I'm totally going to lose this one!

"Go on, Charmander," I said, sending my Pokémon to its doom.

"Go, Squirtle," yelled Douche, throwing his pokeball. "Use Water Gun on that flame!"

His Squirtle looked up at him with a confused look.

"What? You don't know it? What do you know then?"

**Foe Squirtle used Tail Whip!**

**Charmander used Scratch!**

The battle began. I ordered my Charmander to use Scratch on every turn, while Douche would occasionally use Tackle and Tail Whip. For the first time in my life, I won. I finally beat Douche at something! Oh, hell yeah! I called back my Charmander, feeling so ecstatic that I won.

"Beginner's luck," said Douche. "I'm going home to get a Town Map. Too bad you won't have any, Leaf. Smell ya later!"

I watched him leave and turned my attention to Red, who was picking up the pokeball with Bulbasaur in it.

"What a battle," said Oak. "Well, I hope to see you three later soon because I have a special gift for you. Incidentally, Leaf, can you do me a favor?"

Uh-oh… I don't like the sound of that.

"I'd like for you to go to Viridian City, pick up a parcel at the mart over there, and deliver it to me."

Oh, thank God it's just a delivery.

"You can count on me, Professor," I said enthusiastically. I rushed out of the lab and headed straight to my house. I barged through the door and ended up slipping from a wet floor, falling flat on my face.

"Careful, I just mopped there," said my mother, moving a bucket of murky water.

"Thanks for the warning," I said, getting up. "Guess what, though!"

"What?"

"I got a Pokémon! And, Professor Oak wants me to get him a gift or something from Viridian City. So, I'm going to pack up a few things just in case."

"You just said that you're getting him a gift. Why in the world do you need to pack a 'few things?'"

"Well, um… I promised him that I'd catalog all the Pokémon."

"What? Why would you do that!"

"Mom, he just gave me my first Pokémon. My first Pokémon! The least I could do is help out with his research and all."

"I suppose you're right… Just be careful, please."

"Oh, c'mon, mom. You don't have to worry about me," I told her as I went upstairs to my room.

"Knowing you, I have every reason to worry," she said under her breath. In my room, I grabbed a bag and threw in a couple of clothes in there. I stood in my room, staring at my bag. I have a feeling that I'm missing something. I looked around my room until I rested my eyes on my computer. Of course! How could I forget? I turned on my computer and accessed the inventory in it. There was a potion stored so I withdrew it, and placed it in my bag. I grabbed my bag and went downstairs.

"Bye, mom! I'll see you whenever I come back," I said, giving her a quick hug. I went to Douche's house, a little tentative that I should even be there. However, to my luck, he wasn't there. His sister, Daisy, looked at me with a pleased look.

"Hello, Leaf. What are you doing here," she asked me, politeness very obvious.

"I was kind of wondering if you have any spare Town Maps. I don't have one, and I don't really know where else I can get one."

"You may have this, being that you'll need it as much as Blue does," she said, getting the map on a nearby table and handing it to me.

"Wow, thanks," I said, putting the map away in my bag. "By the way, where is Blue?"

"I'm not so sure. He came in here saying how he'll be 'the greatest Pokémon trainer ever' and stuff like that."

Egotistical bastard.

"Oh, okay then. Thanks again for the map! I'll see you later," I said.

I ran out the door and made my way to the tall grass again. I sent out my Charmander, who looked at me quite happily.

"Okay, Charmander, first thing's first! Wait… I think I'm going to give you a nickname. 'Charmander' is a mouthful. From now on, your name shall be Flare! Now, Flare, how about you use Ember on the grass to make the journey easier?"

Flare looked up at me with confusion, not quite understanding what I was saying.

"Ah, you don't know it… No matter! We'll just work on your skills so you'll eventually learn it!"

Flare and I walked through the grass, defeating many Rattata and Pidgey alike. It didn't take us long to reach Viridian City. Being from a small town, it was very exciting for me to be in a city. On the main road, I noticed a commotion going on. I walked to a small group of people, craning my neck to see what the big deal was. An old man lay in the middle of the road, looking rather cranky.

"No one is passing through! No one," he yelled at the sky.

"Grandpa, get up," said a woman standing near him. "You're making a scene."

I walked away, being that this really has nothing to do with me. I went to the PokéMart, just like the Professor asked. The clerk, who was reading a book, looked at me lazily, and then went back to reading. I walked up to the register, tapping the counter to get his attention.

"Yes," he asked me, putting the book down.

"I'm here to pick up something for Professor Oak," I told him.

"Oh… Here you go, then," he said, picking up something and then placing it on the counter.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"No, thank _you_. You're saving me a trip."

I left the mart and walked back to Pallet Town, jumping down ledges to get there faster. I did stop a few times to fight some wild Pokemon to give experience to Flare. In about ten minutes, I successfully made it home. As I walked to Professor Oak's lab, Red ran up to me, walking beside me.

"So, you got the package," he asked me.

"Yeah, I did. Why are you still here?"

"The Professor said he had something to give us."

Oh, crap. I remember he said that he had something "special" to give us not too long ago. Please, God, don't let it be what I think it is. Red and I entered the lab, Douche already there again. Kind of weird how he just turns up and all.

"Good! You're all here," said Oak, turning around. "Here are the special gifts I wanted to give you."

He turned around again, and handed us weird Gameboy-looking devices.

"This is my latest invention: The Pokédex! It records the data of Pokémon that you've seen or captured. With this, you'll be able to make a complete guide of all the Pokémon in the world, which is exactly what I want you to do."

"Do we get paid for doing this," I asked him, putting my Pokédex away in my bag.

"I'm afraid not… This is more of a charity case. And, I don't have the money to pay you."

"Well, I'll be off to accomplish this task," said Douche, walking out. "I know I'm the only one who can do it since Red and Leaf are total losers."

I have no idea how Professor Oak puts up with him. He has the patience of a saint.

"I suppose I'll be off, too," I said, turning my attention to Oak. "Thanks for the Gameboy. I'm sure it'll keep in me entertained."

"It's a Pokédex," corrected Oak. "There's a huge difference."

"I preferred a Gameboy instead… Anyway, I feel the urge to start some fires. Ta-ta for now!"

* * *

_**A/N: Moonlight Wolf91 here! I recently bought the Firered version, and, after reading a comic called "SUPER EFFECTIVE," it inspired me to write my own Pokemon fic. The idea was just buggin me greatly the more I played my game. Anyway, at the moment, I'm a little unsure of how to continue the story. I mean, I'm not sure if I want Red to join Leaf on the adventure or not. I already planned out how the story will be if he does, and if he doesn't. So, what do you, my readers, think? Feel free to review or message me. Thank you.**_


	2. Birds and Pokedexes

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

As I walked to Route 1, I heard Red call out my name. The guy hardly ever yells so it kind of caught me by surprise.

"What is it," I asked him when he approached.

"Is it okay if I join you," he asked me.

"You want to join me? Well, okay, fine. I don't really mind… Wait, did my mom put you up to this?"

He sheepishly looked away, confirming my suspicions.

"I knew it," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I can take care of myself! I'm not a child!"

"It's not like that," explained Red. "She's more afraid of what you might do on your own without any supervision."

"Whatever. Let's get this thing started."

I looked at the tall grass before me and I sighed.

"Great… I have to go through all this _again_," I said with a huff.

"There's no helping it," said Red.

"Hold on! I have a great idea! Stay here, I'll be right back," I told him, running off to my house. I looked through the backyard to find something in particular. When I came back, Red looked at me with surprise.

"This lawnmower will help us tons," I said to him, starting it up.

"I don't think—" he began but was cut off by the roaring lawnmower. I had only taken two steps into the tall grass before the lawnmower started smoking up. And just like that, it died on me.

"What the…? Why'd it break all of a sudden," I asked, scratching the side of my head.

"Even a lawnmower is no match for that much grass. Besides, even if it didn't break from that, all the Pokémon caught under it would have broken it."

I pulled the lawnmower away, setting it to the side of the road. Now I have to buy another lawnmower for my mom, and who knows when I'll have the money to do that. I was just about to walk in the grass until Red interrupted again.

"Hold on," he said, looking through his backpack for something.

"What is it now," I asked, clearly annoyed.

"Professor Oak wanted to give these to you, but you left the lab before he could," he said, handing me five pokéballs.

"Whoa! Awesome! Now I can finally catch Pokémon," I said with excitement, putting the pokéballs away in my bag. "Well, come on! Let's get going already!"

I ran into the grass, leaving him to hurry and catch up with me. During my errand to Viridian City, I really wanted to catch those Pidgey that popped up occasionally in the tall grass. And I, at last, have the opportunity to do so. However, during our trek through the grass, only Rattata were showing up.

"What the hell is this," I yelled. "When I can't catch a Pidgey, they're showing up all the time. Now when I can catch one, none of them are around!"

"We're already near Viridian," said Red, completely ignoring my dilemma.

"You go on ahead. I'm not leaving this route until I catch a freaking Pidgey!"

He shrugged, and headed toward the city. I looked at the grass with determination. I was going to catch a Pidgey, even if it killed me. Well, no, not really. It'd be pretty pointless if I caught one and died a minute later. It'd be pointless and it would really suck. I took out Flare's pokéball from my trainer belt, and brought him out. He looked at me happily, but grew worried at how frustrated I looked.

"Flare, I'm not mad at you. I'm just annoyed that I can't find a Pidgey. I need your help to find one. Catching one would help us both."

Flare nodded, and we both walked through the grass again. Whenever a Rattata showed up, Flare easily defeated it with Ember. Then the answer to my prayers appeared before my eyes. Maybe Flare was a good luck charm for me. Whatever the case, this Pidgey was going to be mine.

"Go, Flare! Use Scratch," I ordered my Charmander. He obediently did so, raking his claws on the Pidgey's left wing. It retaliated with a tackle that hit Flare in the stomach. He got knocked down on his back, but quickly got back up.

"Use Scratch again," I told him. I know he probably didn't like that I was having him use weak moves on the Pidgey, but if I used a stronger move, I was afraid of making it faint. Flare's attack hit the Pidgey in the chest, weakening it. I could tell it was weakened already since it was struggling to stand up. I reached into my bag and pulled out a pokéball, throwing it at the Pidgey.

It was drawn into the ball, and ball fell onto the floor. Flare and I stared intently at it, watching it shake back and forth. Once, twice, three times. I held my breath, waiting for that moment, that moment when I can call this Pidgey my own. Then, an audible click was heard as the pokéball laid still.

"Yeah," I yelled happily. I ran to the ball, only to find myself tripping over something and falling down.

"What the…?" I looked back and saw Flare smiling at me, his fiery tail swishing side to side. I figured that he tripped me with that tail of his. Why he chose now of all times to trip me was beyond me. But I was much too happy to even care. I grabbed the ball that held Pidgey and sat up. Flare walked over to me with curiosity in his eyes.

"Well, Flare, say hello to your new friend and teammate," I said with a smile. Flare sniffed at it, and seemed to shrug. I chuckled, knowing that it will take some time for Flare to grow on the newly caught Pokémon. I returned Flare to his pokéball and stood up.

"Would you like to nickname the newly caught Pidgey," asked a voice that made me jump.

"What," I asked out loud, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Your Pokédex, you imbecilic mammal," the voice said. I fished around in my bag until I found the Pokédex. I opened it up, and saw a page of information for Pidgey. It even said that the one I caught was a boy… How the heck did it know that?

"Would you like to nickname the newly caught Pidgey, inferior carbon-based life form," asked the voice again.

"Um… Yes?" I didn't like the fact that it clearly insulted me _twice_ already.

"Very well," said the Pokédex in its mechanical, monotonous tone. "Please specify the title of identification for Pidgey."

"Say what?"

"Provide the nickname, dim-witted mortal."

I'm starting to hate my Pokédex. I wrote in the name for the Pidgey, which I chose to call it Breeze. While I was at it, I put in Flare's name to make it official.

"Foolish choice of names, primitive ape," said my Pokédex. I closed it and stuffed it in my bag. If it hadn't been an expensive— I assume it to be expensive— gift from Oak, I would have smashed that Pokédex to little pieces.

I made my way to Viridian, knowing well that my Pokémon needed to be healed. It took me ten minutes to get there, and I searched for the Pokémon Center. I eventually found it, walking through its glass doors.

"Took you long enough," I heard a voice say, startling me. I looked to the right to see Red sitting on a chair, reading a magazine.

"How long were you waiting," I asked him.

"Like half an hour or so," he replied, putting down the magazine on a nearby table. "You finally caught a Pidgey?"

"Yes and his name is Breeze."

"You should have named it Butts," said a voice that sounded somewhat like my Pokédex. Except that it wasn't my Pokédex. Red sighed, taking his Pokédex out.

"Yeah, she should have totally named it Butts! Butts used Gust," it said, laughing. "Oh, how about you go catch a Pidgey, Red? That'll be totally awesome!"

"No," said Red, closing it so he can silence it. "You should go heal your Pokémon."

I nodded, walking up to the woman behind the counter.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center," she said cheerfully. "Would you like me to heal your Pokémon back to perfect health?"

"Yes, please," I replied, unclipping the two pokéballs from my belt and placing them on the counter.

"Okay, I'll take your Pokémon for a few seconds." She put the pokéballs on this strange machine that made weird chimes. She then handed them back to me.

"Thank you for waiting. We've restored your Pokémon to full health."

That was it?

"We hope to see you again!"

I grabbed my pokéballs and clipped them back to my belt. Red and I walked out of the Pokémon Center, and out into the fresh air.

"That was an awful thing to say," I said to Red, who looked at me with confusion. "'We hope to see again!' That was pretty messed up! Especially since it's a hospital for Pokémon!"

"I guess that saying 'an apple a day will keep the doctor away' will put them out of business. But, since this is Pokémon we're talking about, it doesn't really matter because Pokémon have free healthcare."

"Ain't that the truth," I said with a chuckle. "Hey, there's a gym here, right? Let's go check it out!"

"I already did. The gym leader isn't there," replied Red.

"Well, that sucks… So, what should we do now?"

"I heard that the Pokémon League is somewhere down that way," he said, pointing to the west road. "I'd like to see if there are any wild Pokémon there."

"Sure, let's go check it out."

We walked down the road, looking around to see if there might be areas worth checking. The road itself seemed impassable; at least it was for us to go to the Pokémon League at the moment. Either way, we couldn't go there since we lacked the necessary badges. There was no way of catching any Pokémon here save for the patch of tall grass not too far away. We both searched through the grass to find any Pokémon that may be hiding there. All we found were Mankey and Rattata. There wasn't anything I wanted to catch here so I decided to train Breeze here so he can get stronger.

Red, on the other hand, found a Pokémon he wanted to catch. It was a Spearow. His Bulbasaur was able to weaken it for him to catch it. I was a little worried that the bird Pokémon might seriously hurt Bulbasaur. I stayed out of the way; I didn't want Red to miss his chance at catching a Pokémon because of me. As he attempted to catch Spearow, I took out my Pokédex again. I checked on my own Pokémon, and I found out some pretty interesting things. For one, Flare had an impish nature, and Breeze had a serious nature. I thought that was pretty cool. And Red was able to catch the Spearow.

"Do you want to nickname the newly caught Spearow," asked Red's Pokédex. "Oh, can we call this one 'Butts'? Come on! You know you want to!"

"No," said Red, declining the offer and closing it up.

"I wish I had your Pokédex," I said with a sigh. "My Pokédex is a jerk."

Red and I continued to train here, occasionally heading back to Viridian to heal our Pokémon. After a while, we decided to explore a little further to see if we can figure out a way to the League for future reference. I picked up Breeze, who I had been training so that he was just as strong as Flare, and put him on my hat. However, as we walked down the road, Douche— I mean, Blue— showed up again.

"Hey, Red," he said with a smug look. "You're off to the Pokémon League? Forget about it! You probably don't have any badges, do you?"

"No," Red and I said at the same time.

"We've been catching and raising our Pokémon," I explained to him. Blue didn't even look at me, most likely ignoring me. Ass…

"The guard won't let you through without them," continued Blue. "By the way, did your Pokémon become any stronger?"

"Well, we were training them," replied Red.

"I didn't have a battle against you, Red. So, how about it? Let's see how weak you're Pokémon are."

I took a sudden step back, making Breeze lose balance and flap his wings to regain it. I moved more carefully this time, getting out of the way of the battle that was about to take place. I saw Blue send out a Pidgey, while Red sent out his Spearow. Both birds fought against each other, receiving directions from their trainers to use Tackle and Sand-Attack to try to get the upper hand on the other. After a few minutes, both Pokémon looked quite tired. However, a certain Tackle from Red's Spearow made the Pidgey lose consciousness. Blue recalled his faint Pidgey, while Red did the same for Spearow.

They then sent out their respective starter Pokémon. Although, I could already see who will emerge victorious of this battle. Bulbasaur does have a type advantage over Squirtle… Sure enough, I was right. Bulbasaur easily took out Squirtle with a few effective hits. I clapped for Red, while Breeze clucked happily on my head. Blue merely shrugged.

"You were just lucky," he said, returning Squirtle back to him. "Anyway, you guys shouldn't dawdle here. Get a move on!"

Blue walked away, heading towards Viridian. I took out my map, looking for our next destination.

"We should get going," said Red, putting Bulbasaur back in his pokéball.

"Hm, we should head north from Viridian to the forest," I said, showing him the map. "When we get through there, we should arrive at Pewter City."

"Viridian Forest… In that case, we should heal our Pokémon before heading there."

We went back to Viridian City, and quickly healed our Pokémon. Red advised that we stock up on items so that we could be prepared for what may come. We pitched in some money to buy some potions and antidotes before going to the forest. However, as we headed north, I saw a familiar face.

"Oh, I know that guy," I said to Red, walking up to the old man from before. "Hey, old man!"

The old guy, who was looking north, turned around in surprise.

"Eh? Do I know you two youngsters," he asked, surveying us.

"Not really, but I remember seeing you when I came here for an errand. You were laying on the floor and stuff."

"Ah, that's because I haven't had any coffee. I'm fine now thanks to a good ol' cup of joe."

"All that for coffee?"

"Say, you're both trainers right?"

Red and I both nodded in response. He grinned, and went inside a nearby house. We were both rather confused as to what was all that about. The old guy suddenly reappeared, carrying little television sets in his hands. I had to admit he was strong for an old guy. That or maybe the little TVs were light.

"Here you go," he said, handing us the television sets. "Since you both are trainers, these Teachy TVs will help you out some. Good luck on your journey!"

"We didn't say anything about a journey," said Red, putting away the Teachy TV in his backpack.

"You both are young with Pokémon… That is enough for me to know that you are on a journey."

"Thanks for the TV," I said, also putting it away in my bag. "We have to get going now."

"Yes, yes. I hope to see you both soon."

We moved on from Viridian, heading to Route 2.

* * *

**_A/N: As much as I hate short chapters, I had no choice but to make this one short. I want Viridian Forest to be a chapter of its own, mainly because I have some great ideas for that chapter. I apologize to whoever is reading this that I updated this story incredibly late. I lost all motivation to continue writing. However, after the purchase of Pokemon Black, it rekindled some of that motivation to write this chapter. Anyway, feel free to comment on my story, be it good or bad._**


	3. OMG! A Pikachu!

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

Red and I walked through Route 2, a road almost surrounded by trees. It was surprisingly empty of other trainers. I was kind of hoping there would at least be one person for me to battle. It would help out my team get a little stronger. But, apparently, that was too much to ask for. Aside from that, there was something else that was bothering me.

"Hey, Red," I began, getting his attention. "What are we going to do about money?"

He actually looked a little surprised, as if he had never given much thought to it. Maybe he didn't… It's actually a little shocking since we kind of struggled to rake in enough money, from the both of us, to buy those potions and antidotes.

"I'm not so sure about that. Don't other trainers give you money for defeating them," he asked.

"I think you're right… Wait! That douche Blue didn't give us a single cent for beating him!"

"Maybe he didn't have any money."

"No, he's just being a cheapskate! Damn penny-pincher. I'll give him a piece of my mind next time we meet!"

We continued walking, passing by a patch of tall grass. I considered looking through it to find some other Pokémon, but I figured there may be rare Pokémon in Viridian Forest. We neared a small building, and went inside. A police officer, who had his feet up on the counter while reading the newspaper, looked up at us lazily and went back to reading. We guessed it was all right to proceed until he spoke up.

"Careful when you go in that forest," he said, licking his finger and turning a page of the newspaper.

"We're not going to get lost, if that's what you're thinking," I told him.

"No, you just need to be careful about the Beedrill in the forest. Don't want you kids getting stung, especially if you happen to be allergic to Beedrill stings. It ain't pretty."

Red and I quickly left before we lost our nerve to keep going. Or was I the only one feeling nervous about getting stung by a Beedrill? In the forest, it was rather cool, and I mean that temperature wise. The sunlight just barely managed to make its way through the tall treetops, which would explain the cool air. I sent out Flare, hoping the fire from his tail would warm me up a little. I looked around for a path, only there were three different ways that branched in different directions.

"Uh, which way should we go," I asked Red.

"I'm not entirely sure," he replied, looking at our available choices.

"Well, we could split up," I offered, even though that idea was pretty foolish. "You can take the first path, and I'll take the middle path."

"I suppose… We don't have much of a choice here."

And so we split up, taking the paths we were supposed to follow. I saw a lot of tall grass on my path, and I was so tempted to ask Flare to use Ember to burn it down. I guess Flare read my mind since he looked rather eager to do so.

"No, Flare," I said, petting his head to calm him down. "Only we can prevent wildfires."

He let out a huff, probably a little annoyed that he can't do what he wants. I shrugged a little, and we kept walking. It was getting a little darker the farther we went. The tall grass pricked at my legs, making me feel like little bugs were crawling on me. I would occasionally stop and slap at them just in case there really were bugs on me.

Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. I quickly hid behind a tree, and peered over to see who it was. The darkness of the forest made it kind of hard to see who it was, but it looked like some other kid. Hm, the kid might have some money on him. Flare and I could take him out, and take his money. Sure, it's not a very nice thing to do, but it'll help me out in the end. Besides, I wasn't about to walk up to someone and say, "Hey, I'm low on cash. Would you mind giving me a buck or two?" Hell no!

"Okay, Flare; on the count of three, we knock him out. One… Two…"

The kid fortunately walked a little closer to our tree. The poor sucker doesn't know what's going to happen to him.

"Three!"

Flare and I jumped at him, catching him by surprise. I tackled him to the floor, and was just about to punch him in the head until Flare's tail fire shed some light on his face.

"What the hell? Red? It was you all along," I asked him, which stopped Flare from unleashing a small burst of fire from his mouth.

"Yes, it's me," he said, sounding a little annoyed. "Could you get off me? You're kind of heavy."

Before getting up, I grabbed his hat and threw it over my shoulder. That'll teach him to not talk about my weight ever again. I watched him go after his hat, and when he came back, he glared at me.

"So, I guess we crossed paths," I said, hoping the lame pun would lighten the mood a little.

"Obviously. However, that means the third path should lead us out of the forest," he said, still glaring at me.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," I said, grabbing his arm and leading the way. Flare followed, sticking close to us. It was funny how it grew brighter the closer we got to the entrance. This time, we took the third path on the right. I was pretty sure that this was the way out of the forest.

"We made eye contact! Now we must battle," yelled someone, making us stop in our tracks. Suddenly, this kid with a bug net ran up to us, holding out a pokéball.

"What the hell are you talking about, kid," I said to him. "I know for sure that I didn't make eye contact with you!"

"I wasn't talking to you," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was talking to the guy next to you. Everyone knows girls suck as trainers."

Oh, hell no. I'm going to beat the living shit out of this kid for saying that. Better yet…

"I challenge you to a battle," I said, getting his attention.

"Okay, fine," he said. "You'll be no match against my bug Pokémon!"

Flare was more than ready to fight, and the bug-catcher kid sent out a Caterpie. I smirked, telling Flare to use Ember. That easily took out the little worm Pokémon. The bug-catcher looked surprised at first, returning his Caterpie back to its pokéball. He then sent out a Weedle to its imminent doom. With another Ember, the battle was over in a mere two minutes.

"Ha! How do you like that," I said, feeling proud of Flare.

"Okay, okay," he said, returning his Weedle. "You're the better trainer."

He walked up to me with reluctance, and extended his hand, offering a handshake. I guess he was trying to congratulate me. That or maybe to apologize. Well, whatever it was, I was more than happy to— Bam! The bug-catcher was suddenly on the floor with a really red cheek.

"Oh, my God," I yelled in shock. "What just happened?"

Red didn't say anything, but bent down near the kid and searched his pockets. I could not believe what happened. One moment, I'm about to shake hands with a kid, and the next, he's knocked out cold by Red. I saw Red pull out a wallet from the bug-catcher's pocket, looking through it.

"What are you doing," I asked him. "Are you mugging him?"

"You said we needed money," he said, taking out $100 from the wallet.

"Well, yeah, but not like this!"

"Really? You want to return this money and find some other way to get paid?"

I stood quiet for a moment. I wasn't sure how else we could get money. Besides, I had this same idea in mind not too long ago.

"All right," I said, extending my hand to Red. "But that's _my_ money. I beat him in a battle so the spoils go to me. Go find some other guy to battle."

Red gave me the money, which I stuffed in a pocket in my bag.

"I'm sure there are other trainers around here," I began, but noticed that Red wasn't paying much attention to me. He was looking somewhere behind me, and I turned to see what it was he was staring at. There, I saw a very familiar, and popular, yellow Pokémon. It wasn't too far away from us. At most, it was fifteen feet away. I wanted to say something to Red, but all that came out was a gasp. The Pikachu held a berry in its little hands, sitting under a tree so it can enjoy its meal. Just as it was about to take a bite, it noticed us.

For a while, the three of us just stared at each other, unsure of who will make the first move. I heard Red move, and I was just as quick to react.

"Oh, no, you don't," I said, quickly turning around and pushing Red so hard that he fell back. "That Pikachu is mine!"

I turned around again to look at the Pikachu, who dropped its berry and quickly ran off. I sprinted after it, but I took one step before I felt a hand, definitely Red's hand, grab my ankle, making me fall flat on my face.

"Karma," I heard Red say as he ran by me, chasing after the Pikachu. I got up and ran after them, but not before picking up a stone from the ground. I recalled Flare back to his pokéball, already knowing he won't be able to handle running very well. I had no idea how fast Pikachu can be. And Red was just as fast. I had a hard time trying to catch up with them. I felt the stone in my right hand, getting ready to throw it. If I could hit Red in the right spot, that could give me enough time to—

"Hey, you," yelled someone. I momentarily stopped to see who was yelling at me. Fucking great… Another bug-catcher. "My bug Pokémon and I chal—"

"Now's not the time," I yelled, throwing the stone at his head, successfully knocking him out. Damn, talk about annoying! I focused my eyes on Red and Pikachu, who were now a good distance away from me. I went back to running after them. I saw Red throw out the pokéball that held his Bulbasaur. Pikachu, noticing the threat, stopped running and turned to them, using Thundershock on Bulbasaur. It then fled again, leaving them to run after it. This time, however, I was running alongside Red.

"Back off," I said to him as we ran. "I'm going to catch that Pikachu!"

"I saw it first," he said, focusing on the mouse Pokémon. "It's mine."

"Go find your own! Ever heard of 'ladies first?'"

"I sometimes wonder about you."

That pissed me off. But, as if he had read my mind, he stuck his foot out in front of me, tripping me _again_. Son of a— Wait… I noticed a Caterpie slowly crawling near me, completely unaware of what was going on. I grabbed it, startling the Pokémon a bit.

"Hey, Red," I yelled at him, getting his attention. "Think fast!"

I threw the Caterpie at Red, who, to my amazement, actually caught the Caterpie. He tossed the worm Pokémon to the side, and kept running. I quickly got up and ran after him again. My desire to catch that Pikachu had me catching up with him pretty fast.

"Damn it, Red," I said with an annoyed tone. "Let me catch it! You can find another one!"

"I don't think so," he said, pushing me into a bush that we coincidentally happened to be running by. I laid there for a few moments, thinking how much I'm going to hurt Red for doing that. I crawled out of the bush, muttering some swear words under my breath as I did. I saw little yellow feet in front of me, making me look up right away. A Pikachu was standing before me, tilting its head to the side in curiosity. A smirk seemed to cross its lips as a shock of electricity came out of it, electrocuting me.

I suddenly collapsed from the shock, but I sure as hell was not going to let this slide by. With a shaky hand, I reached for Flare's pokéball, and let him out to take care of Pikachu.

"Ember," I struggled to say, trying to get my body to move how it should. Flare immediately let out a small fireball from his mouth, successfully burning the Pikachu. It looked annoyed at this inconvenience, giving Flare a jolt of electricity as well. I somehow made myself stand up, while telling Flare to use Scratch. That was more than enough for the Pikachu, who was already succumbing to its burn. I dug into my bag, grabbing a pokéball, and tossed it at the Pikachu, drawing in the Pokémon into it. Flare and I stared intently at the shaking pokéball, almost willing it to stop moving and be mine.

After three shakes, it stopped moving. At that, I yelled in happiness, startling Flare. I ran up to the pokéball and grabbed it, holding it close to my chest. Of course, there was always something to make such great moments end.

"Would you like to nickname the newly caught Pikachu," asked my monotonous Pokédex. I reached in my bag and pulled it out so I can put in the nickname.

"Yes, I would," I said, opening it up and quickly read over the page of information for Pikachu.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," said my Pokédex.

"What? Why?"

"You clearly are incapable of providing suitable names of identification to your Pokémon due to your underdeveloped brain. It amazes me that a Neanderthal such as yourself has survived to this day."

"Just shut up and let me put in a nickname," I growled, feeling so tempted to throw my Pokédex at a tree. I was surprised that it let me, but I quickly entered the nickname for Pikachu before my Pokédex started acting like an asshole again. I had to admit that it's a turning point in technology… Machines now have personalities. Too bad I had the one with the superiority complex.

I felt a tug at my sock, causing me to look down at Flare. He was pointing with his claws straight ahead, and I looked to see Red walking towards me. He seemed content about something, but it was a little hard to tell what, exactly, he was feeling. I showed him the pokéball in my hands.

"I told you that I was going to catch that Pikachu," I told him.

"What are you talking about," he asked, giving me a confused look. "I caught it."

"What?"

He reached for his trainer belt and tossed a pokéball on the floor. A Pikachu popped out, looking a little weak. It was probably like that from fighting against Bulbasaur. Red called it back when he saw my realization.

"So, I caught a different one then," I said, looking at the pokéball in my hands. "Did you nickname yours?"

"I don't do the nicknaming thing," he said, looking away. "I bet you did though."

"Yep! His name is Static!"

"Your Pikachu is a boy, too?"

I was about to say yes to him, but I stopped myself when I realized that I wasn't so sure about Static's gender. But, Static is a unisexual name, isn't it? I took out my Pokédex again, rereading Static's information. And there it was… The blue male symbol right under Static's name, and it also had a relaxed nature.

"Oh, he really is a boy," I said with a smile. "From what you said earlier, yours is also a boy."

"He is. By the way, your hair is really messed up."

I took off my hat and began to smooth down my hair. It must have been standing on end from Static's Thundershock.

"Better," I asked Red, putting my hat back on. He shrugged, making me take that as a yes. We took this opportunity to heal our Pikachu with the potions we bought from Viridian. It would be a good idea to start training them right away, but since we're in the forest with many bug-catchers, that should wait until later. So, we made our way through the forest, knocking out any bug-catchers who lost to us and taking their money. Well, Red was the one who knocked them out, I just watched him to make sure he didn't take any of my winning money. It was a little disappointing at times, though. Those bug-catcher guys don't have much cash on them.

We eventually found the exit out of Viridian Forest, but instead of running over there with tears in our eyes that we found an escape,— Not that we would do that, mind you— We stopped and sat down to count our winnings. After that was done, we looked at each other with obvious disappointment in our eyes.

"Um, how much do you have," I asked him.

"Three hundred forty-seven," he said with a sigh. "You?"

"Three hundred twenty-two," I replied, looking down. "It's not a lot, but some money is better than none at all."

"You have a point there, but we have to be extra careful with spending."

He began to put away his money in his wallet, which he kept in his back pocket.

"Yeah, no kidding," I said, following his lead by putting my money away in my bag. "I just hope the next trainers we run into aren't bug-catchers."

We got up and went to the exit. I'm very glad we finally got out of there. Once we were outside, I looked up at the sky. It was red, orange, pink, and purple from the setting sun. Damn, how long were we in that freaking forest? Well, whatever, we made it out. I looked around, noticing a fairly big field of tall grass. Across the road, there was a small cave. I was curious about it and began to search for a way there. However, there was a tall fence along the road, and the only possible way in was blocked by a tree. Despite my curiosity, this area is beyond my reach.

"Pewter City should be right down this road," said Red, looking ahead. "As well as the first Gym."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But what kind of Pokémon does the gym leader use?"

"I'm not so sure, but we should find someplace we can stay at first. Tomorrow, we'll check out the Gym."

"I heard that the Pokémon Centers are open 24/7. If that's the case, we can stay there," I suggested.

We both stopped when the dirt road had changed to pavement. We had arrived in Pewter City.

* * *

**_A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! It makes me really happy. This chapter was a lot of fun for me to write. But, man, Pikachu is so overrated... Yet it's a killing machine. Pretty obvious in Super Smash Bros. and other Pokemon games, especially HG/SS. Red's Pikachu will become a level 88 monster. And, yes, I realize that I have made Leaf a little uncreative with the nicknames, but I thought that would add some fun times with her Pokedex. But, don't worry! The nicknames will definitely be more creative in the next Pokemon stories I plan to write after this one is complete._**


	4. Pewter City Rocks

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

"Leaf."

Who the heck was calling me? Can't they see that I'm sleeping? Inconsiderate assholes. I was having an awesome dream of publicly humiliating Douche by having Static electrocute him. Hehe… Serves him right for— Holy crap! I can't breathe! I suddenly sat up, looking around in a panic. Red stood beside my bed, looking at me with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Red? Why are you here," I asked, taking in my surroundings. "And where the hell am I?"

"The Pokémon Center, remember? We came in here last night to sleep and heal our Pokémon."

"Oh, yeah," I said, feeling a little embarrassed that I forgot. "Hold on a second. Why are you in my room?"

Before he could answer, I gasped.

"You were snooping through my stuff, weren't you," I yelled accusingly. "Trying to do a panty raid or something?"

"Believe me. You're the last person I would ever do that to," he said, looking rather disgusted. "I only came in here to wake you up so we could check out the gym. But, you wouldn't wake up so I pinched your nose to keep you from breathing."

"What? You didn't have to do that! What if I suffocated in my sleep?"

"I'm not so dumb as to kill you in your sleep."

"Okay," I said, not sure if he'd kill me when I'm awake. "Could you get out? I want to change out of my pajamas. The sooner you leave, the sooner we can see the gym."

He quickly turned around and walked out the door. Talk about eager… I lifted the bed sheets and got out of bed, picking up my bag that was near my bed. I looked through my bag until I found what I was looking for: Another identical pair of the same clothes I wore the day before. And why did I have identical clothes you ask? It's all thanks to my crazy mother. She had gone shopping in Viridian and saw a great bargain sale at a clothing store. The idea of variety didn't occur to her, being that she bought a whole bunch of matching shirts and skirts for me.

I confronted her about this and she told me, "That was all they had for the sale." Either that was the truth or a very elaborate lie. It didn't matter though… I was stuck with all these clothes. But it gets freaking annoying when people ask me if I wore the same clothes yesterday, especially the ones I have explained this wardrobe predicament to.

Anyway, I quickly changed into my clothes, stuffing my pajamas in the bag. I slung my bag over my shoulder, walking out of the room. I walked through a short hallway, and went downstairs. I could already see Red waiting impatiently for me. It seemed that he got his Pokémon back, being that there were pokéballs on his trainer belt. I ignored him for the moment, instead turning my attention to the nurse behind the front counter.

"Excuse me," I said, getting her attention. "Are my Pokémon all healed?"

"Why, yes, they are. What was your name again," she asked me.

"Leaf," I replied. I highly doubt that there were other people with the same name as me.

"Oh, now I remember," she said, looking a little embarrassed. She looked behind the counter, and took out a tray with three pokéballs in it.

"Thanks," I said, clipping the pokéballs to my belt. I then turned to Red, signaling him that I was ready to go. We walked out of the Pokémon Center, and scanned the area for the gym.

"Found it," said Red, pointing to a building that was behind the Pokémon Center. How did we miss that when we first arrived here? We walked down the street, following the path that leads to the gym. My mind was busy thinking of the possible types of Pokémon that the gym leader might use. Maybe it will be bug-types. Yeah… That will definitely be an easy win. Flare and Breeze will take them out in five minutes. I snapped out of my musings when we stood before the gym. There was a rather large sign outside, and the possibilities of an easy victory were crushed before my eyes.

"Rock-types," I yelled, catching Red by surprise. "This gym uses rock-types?"

"Obviously," said Red, pointing at the sign. "'Brock: The Rock-Solid Pokémon Trainer.'"

"I know what it says! I can read!"

"Why are you so angry?"

"I thought that he would use a different type of Pokémon! With the team I have now, I can't face him yet."

"I see… What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Can I challenge him now?"

"You idiot! Of course you can! Bulbasaur can easily beat him! Don't you know anything about Pokémon types?"

One look from him said everything. Unlike me, he didn't read up on Pokémon. Although I only read up on types, that alone helped me figure out what kind of types are Pokémon just by their appearances. So far, there have been no mistakes. But, that didn't matter now. What mattered was that my team wasn't ready to fight against a bunch of rocks. There's something about that sentence that sounds rather pathetic.

"I'm off to train," I huffed, walking away from Red. I walked through the streets until I left the city, going back to that short road that leads to Viridian Forest. That field of grass will definitely help make my Pokémon stronger. Static needs the training more right now, especially since he was recently caught. I tossed out his pokéball, and he appeared, giving me a curious look. Then, our training started. There was a slightly different variety of Pokémon in the field. Proof of that would be that there were Caterpies and Weedles there. Whoop-dee-freaking-doo.

An hour went by until I was sure Static's strength could match up with the rest of my team. I called back Static, and focused my attention on Flare. It was his turn to get some training, and when he has received enough training, Breeze will be next. It's going to be a lot of hard work but it'll be worth it in the end. However, there is still the issue that Brock uses rock-type Pokémon. None of my Pokémon can match up to that. Rock-types are weak against water, grass, ground, fighting, and steel moves… Damn it. I don't think my Pokémon can learn any of those moves either.

"Hey," said a voice behind me. I turned around and saw Red standing on the side of the road.

"What are you doing here," I asked him, walking up to him.

"I have to do some training myself," he replied.

"What? Did you lose against Brock?"

"No, I won the gym badge already. I'm just here to train Pikachu."

"Oh," I said, my heart sinking a little. He waved at me, and then went to Viridian Forest. This sucks ass… Red won the badge and all I'm doing is training Pokémon that won't stand a chance against Brock. There has to be a way around this. My stomach growled loudly, and Flare looked up at me with a smirk on his face. That smirk disappeared when his stomach growled as well.

"Guess it's time to take a break," I said, walking back to Pewter City. Flare walked close to me while I searched for someplace we can eat. I spotted a PokéMart not too far away from us. Surely they have food, right? We quickly walked over there, and went through the glass door. The mart had a wide variety of items. Pokéballs, potions, escape ropes, repels… Everything except food. That's just great. I looked over at Flare, who was wandering off. I followed him to make sure he wouldn't get lost. Well, not that he _can_ get lost. The mart was rather small.

Anyway, Flare went to the last aisle in the back of the mart. To my amazement, there was food there, both human and Pokémon. I quickly grabbed a bunch of instant ramen while Flare grabbed a couple bags of Pokémon food. We carried our goods to the register in the front while the clerk gave us some strange looks. I dumped my food on the counter, and then put the bags that Flare carried on the counter as well.

"Jeez," said the clerk, ringing up the purchases. "Do your parents starve you or something?"

"No, I just forgot to eat breakfast earlier," I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"That'll be $150."

I reached in the side pocket of my bag, and grabbed a handful of cash. I was so glad that all that food wasn't too much. However, it did take a good half out of it. I handed the clerk the required money and started stuffing all the food in my bag. We walked out of the mart and went back to the Route 2. We sat down near the fence, and took out our newly bought food. I let out Breeze and Static so that they could enjoy the meal as well. I opened the bag of Pokémon food and evenly divided it among the three of them. They immediately started eating, leaving me to prepare my own food.

Luckily, I had brought two plastic water bottles with me before I started this journey. Although, it will be very difficult to bring a bottle of water to a boil without melting it. Hm, there is one way but it's a long-shot. I took off my hat, using it to grab the top of the bottle, and held the bottle over Flare's tail flame. Was it bad to use my Pokémon as a stove? Maybe, but Flare wasn't complaining… Or so I thought. Flare noticed what I was doing and growled at me.

"Hey, I need to eat too, you know," I told him. He seemed to reluctantly accept my reason, and went back to eating. I guess he still isn't quite used to me… Can't blame him, though. It would be difficult to be attached to someone in one day. I looked at the water bottle, noticing that it had started bubbling. Wow, that was fast. I carefully put it down and opened up one of the ramen cups. With my hat acting as an oven mitt, I poured the water into the cup, and covered it up so that it can cook the noodles.

I looked back at my Pokémon, who had already finished their meals and looked very satisfied, and put my hat back on. They were staring at me, which I thought was really weird. A Charmander, Pidgey, and Pikachu… How much stronger can they become? I don't know if they were capable of evolving or not, but I was going to do all I could to help them get stronger. And to see if we can get stronger, we have to take on Brock. I checked my ramen, which were now cooked, and grabbed a pair of chopsticks I kept in my bag. I ate my meal quickly, feeling great resolve to continue training my Pokémon. I had to beat Brock; one way or another, I had to beat him. When I had finished eating, I picked up the mess and put it in my bag. I'll throw it out later.

I returned my Pokémon back to their pokéballs, and went back to the field. It was going to be a while before I take on Brock, but it will be worth it in the end. I set to work on training, and spent almost the whole day doing just that. During that time, my Pokémon had learned some new moves, specifically the Metal Claw move for Flare. But, I had to stop training them around sunset. They were exhausted and so was I. I looked in the direction of Viridian Forest, wondering if Red would show up. I hadn't seen him since this morning.

As if on cue, he appeared out of the forest's entrance, looking rather tired. I waved to him to get his attention, which successfully worked. He walked over to me and sighed.

"From the look of it, you still haven't challenged the gym," he said, looking at the setting sun.

"Hey, I'm just training my Pokémon so that challenging him will be a cinch," I said, putting a hand on my hip.

"I see. Any progress on that?"

"Of course! Flare knows Metal Claw now! I'm going to keep training him so that he won't be beaten by a bunch of rocks."

"At any rate, we should head back to the Pokémon Center. The sun's setting, and it wouldn't be wise to stay up all night training."

"Yes, since you obviously know what's best."

He sighed again, walking by me. I chuckled a little before following him back to Pewter City. We went back to the Pokémon Center, and left our Pokémon with the nurse behind the counter. We ate dinner mostly in silence since contributing to a conversation is asking too much from Red. At least Blue, despite being an ass sometimes, talks back to you if you ask him something. I wonder how he's doing now? Wait, what do I care? I went to my room and changed into my pajamas. As I lay down on my bed, I had a feeling that tomorrow would be the day that I would challenge the gym. I'm just going to train my Pokémon a little more and then go get that badge.

….

"C'mon, just a little more," I said under my breath, watching Flare take out another Pidgey with Ember. The Pidgey fainted, and I picked up Flare to congratulate him.

"Good job, Flare," I said to him, hugging him. "I think we're ready to challenge the gym now."

I heard a strange sound coming from him, and I held him at arm's length to see what was wrong. His body began to glow a bright white color, causing me to quickly put him down on the ground. I watched as his figure began to change from his familiar look to something a little different. A bright, blinding light shone, making me look away from Flare. When I looked back at him, Flare was no longer there. Instead, a different kind of Pokémon stood before me.

It still kind of looked like Flare except that a horn had grown out of the back of his head, and that his claws had grown bigger. And he was a lot taller. From the look of it, he grew a whole foot taller and some inches, now waist-high to me. I was rather proud that I had helped him evolve into this different appearance.

"Congratulations," said a monotonous voice—undoubtedly my Pokédex—that came from my bag. "Your Charmander evolved into Charmeleon."

"Oh, we are _definitely_ ready for the gym now," I said, looking at Flare. "Not only that, but you look a whole lot cooler, Flare."

He growled at me, and I realized how insulting my statement was.

"That is, you went from 'cute' to 'cool,'" I explained. He huffed, probably reluctantly accepting my excuse again. I returned him back to his pokéball, and I walked back to the city. I dropped by the Pokémon Center to quickly heal up my Pokémon. When that was done, I made a beeline to the gym. When I had arrived, I was surprised to see Red there.

"What the hell are you doing here," I asked him, causing him to look up. "You already got the badge!"

"I know that, but I just wanted to see how you'll do," he replied. "Also, I came to warn you that you shouldn't try to punch Brock when you defeat him. The gym leaders _have_ to give you winning money."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for the warning." I walked through the gym's doors, my heart beating so fast that I thought it was going to burst out of my ribcage.

"Nervous," asked Red, looking straight at my eyes.

"As if," I replied, dismissing the question with a wave of my hand. "By the way—and this is out of curiosity—have any of your Pokémon evolved?"

"Yes, Bulbasaur did. He evolved when I defeated the gym trainer here."

"Gym trainer? Is that like one of Brock's minions or something?"

"Not really. They just train under the gym leader."

"Sounds like a minion to me."

"Hold it right there," yelled someone, making the both of us turn to the source.

"Speak of the devil," I said under my breath, watching a kid run up to me.

"Why are you here," asked the kid. "Do you really think you can defeat Brock?"

"Duh, it's not like I came here to ask him to take a survey or anything."

"Well, you're not even in the same class as Brock! You're light-years away from him!"

He tossed out a pokéball, and a Geodude appeared from it. I tipped my hat a little before sending out Flare. He made short work of Geodude, using only one Metal Claw move to knock him out.

"What was that about me not being in the same class as Brock," I asked the gym trainer.

He looked like he was thinking about something before he finally answered me.

"I just realized that light-years are a measure of time, not distance," he replied.

I slapped my forehead at what he said before moving on. Now wasn't the time for him to be talking about physics or whatever. Brock, who had been watching the previous battle, was standing close by, arms crossed over his chest. He wore a black shirt with an orange and black vest over it. His pants were a dark green, and he also had black shoes. His hair was brown and spiky, and he had his eyes closed. How could he see with his eyes like that?

"I see you've made it past my gym trainer," said Brock. "I'd like to welcome you to—"

"I'm leaving now," I said, turning around.

"What," said both Brock and Red.

"I'm going to heal my Pokémon before I fight you," I explained, pointing to the exit.

"Isn't that cheating," asked Red.

"No, it's only cheating if you do it in the middle of a battle. I'll be back in a few minutes!"

As much as I'd love to explain the wonderful tale of me going to the Pokémon Center, healing my Pokémon, and going back to the gym, I'm afraid that it will be a little time consuming. So, let's just jump ahead to the action, shall we? I stood before Brock, making sure that my determination was obvious to him.

"So you're here," he began, a small smirk on his face. "I'm Brock. I'm Pewter's gym leader. My rock-hard willpower is evident even in my Pokémon. My Pokémon are all rock-hard, and have true-grit determination. That's right—My Pokémon are all the Rock-type!"

He laughed a little after that, and I just rolled my eyes. I already knew what kind of Pokémon he had… No use in telling me that again.

"You're going to challenge me knowing that you'll lose," he asked. "That's the Trainer's honor that compels you to challenge me. Fine, then! Show me your best!"

I giggled a little, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why are you laughing," asked Red, who was standing off to the side of me.

"Because earlier he said 'rock-hard.' I thought that was pretty funny."

"This really isn't the time to be thinking about that."

"I guess you're right about that," I said, looking back at Brock.

"Can we get on with the match," asked Brock, looking a little annoyed.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just remembered something funny," I explained. "Anyway, bring it on! Go, Flare!"

We tossed out our pokéballs, a Charmeleon and Geodude appearing opposite of each other.

"Use Metal Claw, Flare," I said, watching him perform the move. I was glad to see that Flare's speed had increased as well, probably from evolving. He successfully hit Geodude, making the opposing Pokémon very weak. It used Defense Curl, which I thought was rather late for it to use. I had Flare use Metal Claw again, successfully making Geodude faint. Brock returned his Pokémon and sent out another, which was Onix. I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling that this was going to be a lot tougher than a Geodude.

"Metal Claw," I told Flare, who used the move again. Although, this time, it didn't seem like it affected Onix much.

"Onix, use Bind," said Brock. The large rock snake Pokémon wrapped itself around Flare, trapping him with its body. It seemed that the only way for Flare to free himself is either by chance or by fainting Onix. I'll go for the latter.

"Another Metal Claw, Flare."

"Rock Tomb," ordered Brock as large boulders crashed around Flare. The move weakened him, and yet he was still hanging on. Damn, just one or two more hits from that Rock Tomb move will be too much for Flare. Even though I want to knock out that Onix quickly, Metal Claw is all I have at the moment, and it would be a while for that move to weaken Onix.

"Just keep using Metal Claw," I told Flare, who nodded quickly and did so.

"Finish it with Rock Tomb," Brock told Onix. Shit, I think that's it for Flare. I would think that if it weren't for the boulders completely missing Flare. I guess luck was on my side. Flare used another Metal Claw, despite the fact that he was clearly being hurt by Bind. Onix used Rock Tomb again, greatly weakening Flare. I quickly used a potion on Flare, as did Brock for his Onix.

Flare finally freed himself from Onix's Bind, but I noticed that he seemed a little slower than before. It must have been Rock Tomb that affected his speed. Onix used Harden, which was just my luck. Metal Claw wasn't as strong as it was before, thanks to Harden, but I had to keep going. Onix retaliated with a Tackle, which didn't hurt Flare much. I had Flare repeat the same move, but this one seemed a little different. It looked like it inflicted more damage than usual. Onix used Bind again, wrapping its large body around Flare. Flare used another Metal Claw, and the Onix now looked very weak now. It used Rock Tomb, but it missed again. Sure enough, that last Metal Claw made the Onix faint.

"Oh, thank God," I said, getting on my knees. That was the most stressful battle I've had so far. I returned an exhausted Flare back to his pokéball, and stood up when I noticed Brock approaching.

"I took you for granted, and so I lost. As proof of your victory, I confer you this," he said, revealing the badge in his hand. "The official Pokémon League Boulder Badge!"

I gasped as he put the badge in my hand. My first gym badge… The feeling of pride, accomplishment, and joy filled my body. It was amazing. The battle was a tough one but I managed to get through it and win.

"Oh, and take this as well," said Brock, handing me a case with a cd in it. "It contains the move Rock Tomb. But, be careful because you can use TMs only once."

"Um, okay, thanks for that," I said, putting away the TM in a case I had.

"There are all kinds of trainers in this huge world of ours," continued Brock. "You appear to be very gifted as a Pokémon Trainer. So let me make a suggestion. Go to the gym in Cerulean and test your abilities."

I nodded, and looked at Red with a smile.

"Well, looks like we can finally move on," I told him as we walked out of the gym.

"Finally," he said in a low voice. I punched him in the arm for that remark.

"Yep, let's heal up our Pokémon first so that we can be prepared for whatever's ahead!"

"It's strange though…"

"What is?"

"Brock said the exact same thing to me. What he told you just now, that is."

"Heh, really? I guess these gym leaders prepare a speech to tell everyone who manages to beat them."

As we walked to the Pokémon Center, I felt nervous, and yet excited, of what has yet to come. Considering how much I've struggled with the first gym leader, I get the feeling it's only going to get tougher from here on out. It doesn't really matter though… I can take whatever gets thrown at me.

* * *

_**Please, please, forgive the tardiness of this chapter. College had kept me so busy lately that I was lucky to find the time to write. But, as long as I updated, it's okay, right? Right? Anyway, writing the chapters for this story is making me feel like starting a new game on FireRed... But, at the same time, I really don't want to. Strangely, the only game I like to restart on is the Sapphire game. Mt. Moon is coming up next, which is quite exciting. I mean, I want to update a little quicker so I can get ahead of the "Super Effective" comic. Why? Because I really want to resist the horrible temptations of using the comic's jokes. So, if I'm ahead, it will all be original. Okay, this author note is dragging on longer than I wanted. Feel free to review and make me happy.**_


	5. The Art of Conning

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

"All right," I said excitedly. "Now we can move on to the next city!"

Red and I walked through the streets of Pewter City, having just left the Pokémon Center.

"It's actually a long way from here," said Red, looking at the map. "We have to go through two routes and a cave called Mt. Moon."

"Hey, isn't that the place where Clefairy can be found? I saw that on a documentary once!"

"You actually watch documentaries," he asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Of course, I do! I have to so that I can know more about Pokémon than Blue."

"So, I take it that you watched the Teachy TV?"

"I sure did. I watched every single lesson on my breaks from training."

"Excuse me," yelled someone, which surprised me. We looked behind us to see a man with a red shirt and blue pants running towards us.

"I'm sorry to have startled you," he began. "But have you two been to the museum?"

Red and I both shook our heads in response. Was there a museum in this city? I don't remember seeing one.

"Really? You two absolutely must go," he said ecstatically, grabbing our hands and leading us to the museum. We arrived at a large building that was, indeed, an impressive piece of architecture.

"This is it, the museum," said the man, letting go of our hands. "You have to pay to get in, but it's worth it."

"Uh, sorry, but we're too busy to waste time at a museum," I said, turning around and walking away with Red following close behind.

"What? But, you guys must go in!"

"As Leaf said," replied Red. "'We're too busy to waste time at a museum.'"

"But, if you guys don't go in, they might close down the museum!"

We stopped walking when we heard that. Was the museum going out of business?

"See, I'm trying to gather enough people to make the week's quota," said the man with a depressed tone. "If I bring in enough tourists, maybe, just maybe, I can help save the museum. Of course, you don't have to go in. Although, it would be heart-breaking to hear at the end of the week that the museum was short on tourists. All because some people were too selfish to think of the well-being of others."

That bastard… I have to admit that it's quite a sad story, but he didn't have to go as so far as to make me feel bad. Also, I don't think I can live with myself if I become partially responsible for the museum's closure. We're not so busy that we can't take at least fifteen minutes to go to the museum. I looked at Red, who gave me a shrug.

"Okay, we'll go inside," I told the man. "But it better not cost a lot to get in!"

"Oh, thank you so much! I promise you won't regret it," he said cheerfully as he walked away.

We watched him leave and then walked inside the building. It looked very nice inside. Light brown tiles on the floor and the striped beige paint on the walls gave the place a professional feeling to it. We walked up to the receptionist, a man who looked quite pleased to see us. That or maybe it was part of his job to look that way to visitors.

"Yes, yes. It's $50 for a ticket. Would you like to come in?"

"Yeah, fine," I said, putting my money on the counter as Red did the same. "Anything to keep this place from going out of business."

"What," asked the receptionist, a look of confusion on his face. His face lit up as he smiled and laughed.

"Oh, let me guess," he said with a chuckle. "Miles told you that we were going out of business to get you to come here, am I right?"

"Wait… Are you saying that that stuff that Miles guy told us was a lie," I asked in shock.

"I'm afraid so. He's actually a con artist, but a con artist with a love for history. He likes to see the museum to be lively."

Yeah, since we're looking at already dead things. That manipulative bastard… I can't believe I got sucked into that sob story! Next time I see him, he's going to get a good Thundershock from Static.

"Anyway, here are your tickets," said the receptionist, handing out our tickets. "Please, do enjoy yourselves."

No matter how pissed off I was, that anger flew out the window when I saw the two glass cases in the room. I ran up to one to take a good look inside. It was a skeleton of a dead creature. It looked rather strange. It looked bird-like since it had wings and two feet, yet the skull and tail gave it a more reptilian look. Red finally joined me, reading the description that was on the glass.

"It's called Aerodactyl," he began. "It's a rare and primitive Pokémon."

"That thing is a Pokémon? Wow, can you imagine something like that flying around now?"

Red looked away to see the other glass case. It looked very different from the Aerodactyl fossil. This skeleton was standing upright, had a weird shaped skull, and had scythes for hands.

"This is Kabutops, another rare and primitive Pokémon."

"Whoa… That one looks really cool," I said, backing away from the glass to admire the fossil. I looked to the left and saw a staircase. "Come on! Let's go up to see what else is there!"

I ran for the staircase, going up as fast as I could. When I reached the next floor, my heart was beating rather fast. I looked around and saw a space shuttle nearby. I could tell that Red was taking his time going up the stairs so I decided to look at the shuttle in the meantime. It was surprisingly not as big as I assumed it would be. Maybe it was a smaller replica of the real thing? There's no doubt about that since a real shuttle would be too large to fit in this small museum.

Red finally made it to the second floor, but he only glanced at the space shuttle. Instead, he looked at a large glass case. I followed him to it and saw that the case had large rocks inside. They were black but had this nice shine when the lights overhead hit them. The description on the case read "A meteorite that fell on Mt. Moon. It is thought to be a Moon Stone."

"Moon Stone," I asked out loud. "Do you think we can find some in Mt. Moon?"

"Probably, unless other people found them and kept it to themselves," replied Red.

I stepped away from the glass case and began to make my way out. We've pretty much seen everything there is to see here. Red followed me, probably knowing what I was thinking. As we made our way out, the receptionist smiled at us and waved goodbye. When we were outside, I turned to Red, doing it so fast that it actually surprised him.

"We really have to leave this city now. Let's run out of here to Route 3!"

Before he could say anything, I grabbed his hand and ran as fast as I could out of Pewter City. We were out of breath by the time we arrived in Route 3. We walked until we saw that the route had quite a bit of trainers who were just lounging around. Almost instantly, we smirked to ourselves. This was going to be a good way to earn some more money.

* * *

"That was great," I said with a smile, putting away my reward money in my bag. "This time there were different people other than the bug-catchers."

"Yes, and it was a good idea that you take on the girls."

"I only offered because I don't think you have it in you to punch a girl or threaten one."

"That's true. It was the way I was raised."

We continued to walk along the route, pleased with our winnings. I can definitely feel my team getting stronger with every win. And it's not just my team; I can tell that Red's is also getting stronger. It made me wonder if, maybe one day, I will have to battle against him. My thoughts were pushed aside when I noticed a sign, which read "Route 3, Mt. Moon Ahead". As we walked, the road became rockier and a little steep. Eventually, a Pokémon Center came into view as well as the cave entrance to Mt. Moon.

As a precaution, Red and I walked into the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon. Inside, there was a small group of people gathered at the corner. We left our Pokémon with the nurse, and checked to see what was going on. In the middle of the crowd was the last person I wanted to see.

"Oh, it's you," I yelled, pointing at that manipulative bastard. "Miles! You tricked us into going into that freaking museum!"

"Hey, now, little lady," he said, raising his palms in defense. "Let me ask you something. Do you regret going to the museum?"

"Ah, well… No," I replied sheepishly. "But you didn't have to guilt-trip us into doing it!"

"I only did it because young kids these days don't care much for history or great discoveries. Think of it as a learning experience I gave you."

I growled a bit, making the small crowd there look at me strangely.

"Tell you what, sweetie pie," said Miles with a smile. "I'm selling some great Pokémon here. You can have a Magikarp for only $500! If you ask me, that's one hell of a deal."

"No way! We're not falling for your scam," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. The crowd began to whisper in unease at what I said.

"But I went through so much effort to catch all these Magikarp," he said sadly, looking down in disappointment. "I'm only doing this to feed my family. With $500, they can at least have a bowl of rice to eat."

"You don't have a family to feed!"

Miles reached into his pocket and took out a wallet. He opened it and revealed a set of pictures. One was of him and a woman, and another was of him, the woman, and a boy.

"Right now, they're probably wondering if I'm going to bring home some food or not," began Miles. "I hate to see their disappointed faces when I tell them I didn't have enough money to buy food. My poor wife has lost fifteen pounds already, doing all she can to keep our growing son fed. The worst part is that for the last three years, I've been saving up whatever money I have to buy my son a birthday gift. That gift happens to be a bike. It's the one thing he's always wanted and it can make up for all his past birthdays when I couldn't afford to get him anything."

By now, most of the crowd was in tears. What saps… Or am I being too heartless?

"I'll buy a Magikarp," said a woman, who was crying.

"Me too," said a man.

Sure enough, people were crowding over Miles again, buying Magikarp from him.

"I'll buy one," said Red, giving Miles the money. Had this been a cartoon, my mouth would have dropped to the floor.

"Thank you," he said, giving Red a pokéball. "This will go straight to Sidney's birthday savings."

Red took the pokéball and walked back to the counter to check on his other Pokémon. I followed him, absolutely astonished that he was scammed into buying a Magikarp.

"Why did you buy a Magikarp from him? Didn't you hear that receptionist in Pewter City say that he's a con artist," I asked him.

"I did, but what if he isn't lying? What if he actually has a family to care for," asked Red.

"Well, how do you know he gave you a Magikarp and not a Rattata or something?"

"Let's see," said Red, tossing the pokéball. A red fish appeared out of the ball, flopping around helplessly.

"Please tell me that this fish can do something," I said, staring at the Magikarp. Red took out his Pokédex and checked what moves the Magikarp knows.

"It only knows Splash," replied Red, putting away the Pokédex.

"What does that do?"

"Splash," said Red to the Magikarp. It continued flopping in the same place.

"So basically, it's a useless move for a useless Pokémon. Well, that sure is great since you did help out Miles get richer. Good for you," I said sarcastically.

Red didn't say anything, only picked up his healed Pokémon from the nurse and walked out. I was going to ask Miles if he gives refunds, but being that he's a con artist, I highly doubted that. I picked up my Pokémon and followed Red outside. He stared at the cave entrance, which I found a little odd. But, the way he stared at it also intrigued me. Usually, he always had this disinterested look in his eyes. However, once we started this journey, that look was hardly ever present in his eyes. Instead, there was a more serious and determined look. And he was talking more than usual.

When we were kids, he didn't speak much to anyone. It seemed that he preferred to do things on his own than with anyone else. I say that because in whatever we did or played, he didn't look interested or showed that he was having fun. Eventually, I began to invite him to play less and less, until I just stopped. I stilled talked to him here and there, but the conversations didn't go any further than ten minutes.

Ever since Professor Oak invited us to his lab to give us our first Pokémon, Red has changed quite a bit. It was definitely his Pokémon that changed him. But, what I'm not sure of is why he is with me on this journey. He could have refused my mom and just go on his own adventure. That was something I was sure he'd do.

"Hey, did you hear what happened in Cerulean," asked a voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see who it was. There were two middle-aged men, who were walking to the Pokémon Center.

"No, I didn't. What happened over there," asked the other.

"The news said that the citizens have been attacked by Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket? Ugh, why can't they leave people alone and go to some other region?"

"Not just that, but I hear they've been seen around Mt. Moon. It's a rumor so I'm not entirely sure."

"Lately, it feels like we're hearing more and more about them and their crimes."

I looked away from them as they entered the Pokémon Center. As I looked at Red, I could tell that he heard everything. I walked over to him, and we entered the cave. I don't know who these Team Rocket people are, but I won't go down without a fight.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner! College has been quite the handful lately. Anyway, looks like I made a new character. Feel free to brick me for making two separate people the same guy. I have recently started a new game on FireRed so that I could write the story better and not depend on youtube videos. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible so just bear with me, readers. Much thanks to all who've reviewed my story!**_


	6. Rockets to Mt Moon

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

The cave was surprisingly not dark. I don't know what phenomenon could cause something like that. Aren't caves usually… Pitch-black dark? The kind of dark where you can't see even an inch ahead of you?

"So, what do we do first," I asked Red.

"Split up, until we know any possible exits."

"Okay, you can go over there," I said, pointing to the left. "I'll go this way."

We went our separate ways to find a way to proceed through the cave. Although, I made him go the other way because I noticed a girl on the other path. She should be easy to take out. When she caught sight of me, she immediately challenged me. And her Pokémon of choice was a Clefairy. This should be easy.

Or so I thought. That Clefairy was tougher than I thought it was. It even put Flare to sleep with its Sing move. It was damn annoying but I was able to beat her.

"All right," I said, holding out my hand. "Give me half your money or I'm going to knock you out."

"Okay, just don't hurt me," she said, taking out her wallet and handing me her money.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said with a smile. I walked away as I put away my money in my bag. I stopped walking to see if Red was going to tell me of a way out. I leaned against the wall of the cave, waiting for him. After what seemed like forever, he finally showed up.

"Did you find anything," I asked him.

"No, I think the exit is somewhere around here instead."

We looked at the area ahead and noticed how large it was.

"Here we go again," I said as I walked away from him. I went south—or what I think is south—and defeated the few trainers that were there. I even found a potion lying around. As I explored, I saw something that looked like candy. I picked it up, and examined it. It was a round candy with a blue wrapper, and it had this weird logo on it that said "Rare Candy". What was I supposed to do with this? I could eat it, but that would be kind of gross to eat candy off the floor. I'll hang on to it and show it to Red later.

I continued on, finding another interesting item. It was a long piece of rope. Uh, I don't think that really counts as interesting. Well, you'll never know when you might need some rope. I stuffed that thing in my bag and moved on. I stopped when I saw Red having a battle with a girl. Crap, there's no way he'll be able to take her money. I stayed close to the cave walls, and made my way around so that I could sneak up on her. When her Bellsprout fainted in battle with Red's Spearow, I gave her a good punch in the head. She fell to the ground, and I searched her pockets for her wallet. I took out some of her money and gave it to Red.

"You know," I said as we walked away. "If we keep up with this, I'm sure someone is going to find out about what we're doing."

As we walked, I noticed that we were going back to where we were before. However, there was a ladder that went down a hole that I didn't see before.

"Um, Red, did you check that out?"

"I didn't. I wanted to see what was up ahead."

"Hm, it could be worth our while to see what's down there," I said, going to the ladder and climbing down. I reached the bottom and saw that it was just a tunnel. As I waited for Red, I scanned the area to see if there was any stuff lying around that we could use. It seemed that there wasn't anything. We walked down the tunnel until we reached the end, another ladder waiting for us to climb down. I quickly climbed down to see what was at the bottom. Although, I didn't really expect to find someone else there.

"You," yelled a man's voice that echoed through the cave. I jumped at how loud the voice was and turned in time to see a man in black clothing with a huge "R" on his shirt running at me.

"We, Team Rocket, are Pokémon gangsters! We strike fear with our strength," he yelled, tossing out a pokéball that had Sandshrew inside. I'll give him points for his enthusiasm but that introduction was rather horrible. I grabbed whatever pokéball and tossed it as well, releasing Static.

"Aw, damn it," I said under my breath. I quickly returned Static back to his pokéball, and released Breeze. By now, Red had joined me, watching the battle between me and this Team Rocket guy. The Sandshrew used Defense Curl, which increased its defense. I had Breeze use Gust until the Sandshrew fainted. His Rattata and Zubat was no match against Static's Thundershock.

"Agh, damn it all! My associates won't stand for this," he said, taking out some money and throwing it on the floor. "Take this money and leave the cave if you know what's good for you."

We watched him leave in silence, unsure of what to do. What the heck is that guy doing here? From what I hear, they're pretty much criminals. But, what would Team Rocket want from Mt. Moon?

"Red, this means that there are more of those Team Rocket guys around here," I said, feeling a little uneasy.

"We should try to follow him," he said, climbing up the ladder. I nodded and followed his lead. We quickly ran through the tunnel and climbed the second ladder to the first floor. We then continued on through the cave, keeping an eye out for that Team Rocket grunt. We passed by the unconscious girl, who looked like she was finally coming to, and went down a path that leads to another ladder. I wasn't so sure if the grunt went down the hole, but it was best to check it out.

It was a smaller, shorter tunnel this time, another ladder close by. There were a lot of ladders in this cave… Red climbed down first, probably to check if any Team Rocket grunts were there. I listened carefully when I heard someone yell, "Hey! We're pulling a big job here! Get lost, kid!" I quickly climbed down to see if Red needed any help. However, it seemed he was handling things well. His Pikachu easily subdued the grunt's Zubat with a Thundershock. The grunt's Ekans needed another Thundershock to bring it down.

"If you kids find any fossils, you better hand them over to Team Rocket or else," he said, leaving the area. We quickly followed him, but it looked like he disappeared by the time we reached the short tunnel. At least now we know what they're after. Still, I don't really see the value in fossils. Unless they're going to donate them to the museum, which is most unlikely, there's nothing much you can do with a fossil. Then again, maybe there's some ulterior motive.

"Those Rocket guys don't look it, but they sure are fast," I said in amazement.

"If we explore more of the cave, I know we'll find the rest of them," he said with certainty.

"You're right. Sooner or later, we'll find them."

I then pointed at the ladder, which made Red look at me with confusion.

"After you," I told him.

"Why aren't you climbing up first?"

"What? So you can get a good view up my skirt while I climb? I don't think so!"

He shrugged, as if the thought never occurred to him, and climbed up the ladder. Maybe the thought never did occur to him, but I wouldn't take my chances. I followed him, and we moved on through the cave. There were a few more trainers so that took up some of our time looking for Team Rocket. However, we did come across something that made up for that time. It was a Moon Stone! It was way different than those meteorites in the Pewter City museum. It was probably just a broken fragment of one of the meteorites, but I could be wrong.

Close to where the Moon Stone had been, there was another ladder. Since we've checked almost the entire cave already, there was no doubt that this ladder would lead us to the exit, and Team Rocket. We hurriedly climbed down, and ran through the tunnel below. There was yet another ladder that we had to climb down. Really, I'm getting sick of these ladders. However, things were about to get more interesting. At the bottom floor, we saw a Team Rocket grunt nearby.

"There's only one way we can make it through this," I whispered to Red. "While one of us fights one of the grunts, the other moves on until they have to fight. Can your Pokémon handle all that fighting?"

"Why do you ask such stupid questions," he asked, walking to where the first grunt was. I really wanted to punch him for asking something like that. As he distracted the grunt with a battle, I pushed ahead until I came across a grunt that looked like he was on guard duty or something.

"We're trying to find fossils. Reviving Pokémon from them will earn us huge riches," he said, releasing a Rattata from its pokéball.

Ah, so that's what they're up to here. They're going to get rich off of selling prehistoric Pokémon. Part of me thinks that's a rather clever idea, however, I'm going to have to stop them and… Wait. What will I get out of stopping these guys? Probably make my own Pokémon stronger and win some money, but there isn't much merit. Okay, maybe for the sake of looking better than them? Although, I've been beating up people to get their money, so I'm probably not much better than Team Rocket. Shit… I'm going to get really bad karma for all this. All right, so I'll stop this guy for the sake of good karma in the future.

"I don't think so," I countered, tossing Breeze's pokéball. It took a Tackle and a Gust to make the Rattata faint, but so far so good. He then switched his Pokémon with a Zubat, and I did the same Static. Why do these Team Rocket grunts have the same Pokémon all the time? While I fought him, Red passed by to go on ahead. I quickly defeated the Rocket grunt with Static's Thundershock and followed Red.

There was a set of stairs with a man in a white lab coat standing at the top. Maybe he was friendly? We walked by, but he immediately saw us.

"Hey! I found these fossils! They're both mine," he yelled, tossing a pokéball that held a Grimer inside. Red tossed Pikachu's pokéball, and had him use Thundershock. It didn't hurt the Grimer much but it did paralyze him. The Grimer retaliated with Pound, which Pikachu endured. Red had Pikachu use Quick Attack, which did a little more damage, and Grimer used Pound again. Pikachu finished off the Grimer with another Thundershock.

The guy then sent out a Koffing, which Pikachu attacked with a Thundershock. Koffing tried to use Smog, but the attack missed. I sighed in relief as Pikachu defeated it with a Quick Attack. The man returned his Koffing back into its ball and released a Voltorb into the battle. Red called back Pikachu, and sent out Ivysaur. Ivysaur attacked Voltorb with a Vine Whip, while Voltorb use Charge. Another Vine Whip easily brought down the Voltorb.

"Okay, I'll share! Just don't hurt me, please! Go and take a fossil, but you have to leave me one! No being greedy," he said, taking a couple steps away from us as if we were threatening him.

We walked up to the two fossils lying on the floor. One was dome-shaped, and the other had a strange helix design.

"Um, which one should we take," I asked Red.

"It doesn't matter. You pick one," he said with a shrug.

"Okay, then," I said, picking up the dome-shaped fossil and putting it in my bag. The guy ran up and quickly grabbed the other fossil.

"All right. This one is mine," he said, stuffing it in his lab coat. "You know, in a faraway place called Cinnabar Island, I heard there's a Pokémon lab that does research on regenerating Pokémon."

"Uh, thanks for the fossil and the info," I said to him as we walked away. "Ugh, I want to get out of this cave already."

It was then that we found another ladder. I felt like screaming when I saw it. Red climbed up while I followed him. There was another ladder in the floor above, but this one was a little different. This ladder had sunlight around it. Red let me climb first, which I did very eagerly. When I had reached the top, I almost cried when I felt the cool breeze and the sunlight against my skin.

"Finally! Sweet, sweet daylight," I said, kneeling down on the grass.

"Please, get up," said Red, appearing from the cave. "Must you really make a scene?"

"There's no one around so I can do this if I want."

"There _are_ people around."

"What? Where?"

Red pointed to an area not too far off from where we were. There were two guys in karate outfits standing there, looking like they were having a staring contest. We walked over to them, but they didn't seem to notice us. I picked up a rock and threw close to one of them, but he didn't even blink. They must be seriously concentrating on this staring contest. I grabbed another rock and threw it right at the guy in the right. He caught it and crushed it in his hand. Holy crap!

"Mega Punch," he said loudly, posing with his left fist in the air.

"And Mega Kick," said the other guy, posing with the other guy but with his right fist in the air. They then pointed their fingers at Red and me.

"Are your Pokémon worthy enough to learn these destructive moves," they asked in unison.

"Not from karate weirdoes," I replied.

"What? How dare you disrespect us! We are the Great Boris Brothers!"

More like Great Boring Brothers.

"I'm Gunther Boris," said the guy on the right. "My awesome punches will leave you overwhelmed by my power!"

"And I'm Guntram Boris," said the other guy. "My powerful kicks will leave you in awe at my coolness!"

"And I'm Leaf," I said, getting their attention. "My disinterest in you guys will leave you looking like idiots."

"Do not take us for fools," said Gunther, glaring at me. "Guntram! Pokéball!"

Guntram tossed a pokéball to Gunther, leaving me quite indifferent about the whole thing so far. That all changed when Gunther crushed the pokéball with his hand, just like he did with the rock.

"Did you see that," I asked Red in surprise.

"Ha! Now cower before our great might," said Gunther rather loudly.

"There… There wasn't a Pokémon in that pokéball, right?"

"Uh… Psst! Guntram," he said, calling over his brother. "Was there a Pokémon in that ball?"

"No, because the ones in the white bag are the empty ones."

"Idiot! The ones in the black bag have the empty pokéballs! The ones in the white bag have our—"

Right in the middle of Gunther's explanation, Red and I ran for our lives. If that guy crushed a pokéball with a Pokémon in it, he could easily crush us. We ran with every ounce of strength we had left until we reached Cerulean City.

* * *

Later…

"Welcome to Lavender Tower," said an old woman. "How may I help you?"

"Um, I'd like to bury my Mankey," replied Gunther, holding out pieces of a broken pokéball.

"Sir, that is nothing but a broken pokéball."

"Actually, it's what's left of my Mankey."

"How did… Never mind. I'd rather not know."

* * *

_**A/N: A rather macabre ending, is it not? I think I should have put the last chapter together with this one, but I felt that it somewhat disrupted the flow if I did put it together. Well, Cerulean City will hopefully be longer than this. I don't know why but those karate guys in the game kind of gave me that vibe that they were the type to act "cool" when they're actually being obnoxious. And I'm annoyed at myself for even writing that about them. Miles the con artist was way more fun to write about. But, that's because I think con artists are cool. Thanks to those who have reviewed! Your reviews are much appreciated!**_


	7. Cerulean City Blues

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

Cerulean City certainly was a great change of scenery. A river nearby gave the place a feeling of serenity, while the breeze felt like it calmed this bustling city. I took in a breath of air, which felt so clean in my lungs.

"This place gives off a great vibe, don't you think," I asked Red. He didn't answer, but walked ahead of me. That was nice of him to completely ignore me. He walked straight for the Pokémon Center, which was a smart thing to do. After all that Team Rocket stuff in Mt. Moon, my Pokémon were exhausted. But, I'm very proud of them to pull through. They deserved a good break. Inside the Pokémon Center, I handed the nurse my pokéballs as Red did the same. We sat down on the available seats nearby, waiting.

"Man, that Bill can be really annoying sometimes," said a teenager, who was sitting by a table close to us. I couldn't help but listen to his conversation.

"He's a Pokémaniac, what'd you expect," asked an older man, probably his father. "You can't really blame him for boasting about his Pokémon."

"Still, he's pretty much told everyone here already about his 'rare' Pokémon. He's told me like a hundred times already!"

"Just bear with it. He might not look it but he's actually a genius."

The teenager just grumbled in response. Hm, maybe we should go see this Bill guy. If he has rare Pokémon, maybe he can give us some pointers on where to find them. I know it will help with filling up the Pokédex. I looked at Red, who nodded slightly. He must have heard the conversation too and was probably thinking the same thing as me.

"Excuse me," said the nurse at the counter. "Your Pokémon are all healed now."

Red and I stood up and walked up to the counter, clipping the pokéballs to our belts. I then remembered that Rare Candy I found at Mt. Moon. I dug through my bag before finding that small wrapped candy.

"Hey, do you know what this thing is," I asked the nurse, handing her the candy.

She stared at it for a short moment before smiling and replying, "Oh, this is a Rare Candy. They're full of great nutrients, vitamins, and minerals for Pokémon to make them stronger. It has no effect on humans so it would be best to save this."

"Thanks," I said, receiving the Rare Candy from her. She waved goodbye as we walked out.

"Aren't you going to use the Rare Candy," asked Red when we were outside.

"No, at least, not yet. I'm just surprised that candy can be used as steroids for Pokémon," I replied.

A building then caught my eye. It was no ordinary building either.

"A bike shop," I yelled excitedly. "Red, let's go see what kind of bikes they have! I've always wanted one!"

I grabbed his hand and ran to the shop, eager to see the bikes. Inside, there were many different colored bikes. There were also different kinds of bikes too. Mountain bikes, city bikes… It made my head spin from what kind of bike I'd like. Hell, I don't even care. I just have to get one. It will make traveling so much easier and faster. I went up to the clerk, leaving Red to examine some of the bikes.

"Hey, how much is it for a bike," I asked him. Well, it was more of a demand.

"My, you sure are spirited," he said with a smile. "Well, the bike of your dreams can be bought with $1,000,000! So, how about it?"

"Uh," was all I could say as I looked in my bag for a certain pocket that held my money. Unfortunately, all I had was $6000.

"From the look of it, I'd say you don't have enough," said the clerk with a smug smile. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. There are other customers who can afford a bike waiting for me."

I quietly walked out of the shop. Red saw me leave, and followed me out.

"Leaf, are you all right," asked Red.

"That asshole," I said angrily. "He basically called me poor! And what kind of ridiculous price is $1,000,000? Who has that much money anyway?"

"Rich people," replied Red in a matter-of-fact tone. I stormed away, knocking over the row of bicycles outside the shop. Red ran up to me, walking with me in silence. I wasn't really expecting him to say anything to cheer me up or calm me down. We walked through the city until we saw a bridge up ahead. And then came the harbinger of misfortune…

"Yo! Leaf! Red," called out Blue as he walked up to us from the bridge. "You guys still struggling along back here?"

"Not really," I replied, my tone obviously irritable. However, Blue was the type to be ignorant of the feelings of others. Or maybe he knew but just didn't give two shits.

"As for me, I'm doing great! I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon! Here, let me see what you caught, Leaf!"

At that, he tossed out a pokéball that released a Pidgeotto, while I tossed Static's pokéball. I had Static use Thundershock, which did some damage to Pidgeotto. It then used Tackle to attack Static, which he endured. However, that Pidgeotto quickly followed up with Quick Attack, weakening Static. It was good that another Thundershock brought it down. I returned Static to his pokéball and sent out Flare to fight against Blue's Rattata.

Rattata immediately attacked with Quick Attack, while Flare retaliated with Ember. Unfortunately for Rattata, that Ember left a burn, which made it flinch in pain. Flare finished it off with Scratch, making Rattata faint. Blue called back Rattata and sent out Squirtle. I quickly returned Flare to his pokéball. There was no way Flare could go against a Water-type. I reluctantly had Static go against Squirtle, even though I was aware that he was quite hurt from his fight with Pidgeotto.

Thundershock did some damage to Squirtle, who used Withdraw to strengthen its defenses. Static used another Thundershock, which greatly weakened Squirtle. However, Squirtle used Tackle, severely weakening Static. I bit my lip in anxiety, seeing my Pikachu stand with whatever strength it had left. I found it inspiring how, even when things look as bad as this situation, Static was able to keep standing and try to make it to the end.

"Quick Attack," I said softly. Static nodded and used the move, knocking out Squirtle. I then returned Static to his pokéball and released Breeze from his. Blue released an Abra, a strange Pokémon I haven't seen before. Strangely, it tried to disappear, or that's what it looked like. Was that Teleport? Well, whatever… Breeze attacked Abra with Gust. I had him use Quick Attack to make Abra faint.

"Hey, take it easy," said Blue, returning Abra to its pokéball. "You won already!"

He reached into his back pocket, and took out some money from his wallet.

"Here," he said, handing me the money. "There's the reward money."

"Reward money," I asked, looking at him with confusion.

"Yeah, that's the money people give you when you win a Pokémon battle. Don't you know this already?"

I quietly put away the money in my bag, and sat down in the grass in the edge of the road, hugging my legs.

"I'm a horrible person," I said in a low voice.

"What the hell? What's wrong with her," asked Blue to Red.

"We've been… Punching out people and taking their money," replied Red, shame in his tone. He wouldn't be ashamed if I wasn't around and gave him the stupid idea to mug people.

"That was you guys," asked Blue in shock. "I heard that some people were knocked out unconscious and had their money taken, but I didn't think it'd be you two, especially you Red. I thought you were goody-two-shoes. Then again, Leaf _is_ a bad influence."

Way to make me feel even worse, Douche. If I wasn't having a moral crisis, I'd be giving you a good beating now. Man, my mom even told Red to keep me out of trouble, but I ended up dragging him into it. Damn, I really am going to get bad karma in the future.

"Anyway, I went to Bill's house earlier," began Blue, completely ignoring me. "I got him to show me his rare Pokémon. That added a lot of pages to my Pokédex. But, you can't expect anything less from a famous Pokémaniac. He even invented the Pokémon storage system on the PC."

"That's impressive," commented Red. "Thanks to him, we can catch Pokémon."

"Exactly," said Blue. "Since you guys are using his system, you should go thank him. Well, I better get rolling! Smell ya later!"

I could hear him walk away, which made me feel relieved that he wouldn't be around to make me feel lower than dirt. However, I could hear those dreadful footsteps returning. To my surprise, he was standing right next to me. I looked up at him, unsure of his reason why he came back.

"Oh, yeah," he began, looking down at me. "I feel sorry for you. No, really."

I stared at him in disbelief. Did he say that he felt sorry for me?

"You're always plodding behind me," continued Blue with that damn arrogant tone of his. Why the hell did I think he actually felt sympathy for me? I really shouldn't be surprised that he'd say something to infuriate me.

"So here, I'll give you a little present as a favor," he said, handing me a strange device with a large screen. "That thing is perfect for a chatty gossip like you. I don't need it because I don't really care about others."

First of all, I'm not a chatty gossip! And, second, I already know you don't give a shit about anyone!

"All right, I really am leaving now," he said, looking away from me. "But before I leave..."

I felt my hat being pulled off suddenly, making me look right back at Blue. As soon as I saw it in his hand, I quickly stood up and tried to get it back. Although, that was difficult to do because he was taller than me, giving him the advantage to keep my hat above my reach.

"Give me back my hat," I yelled at him. He just smirked at me, holding my hat beyond my reach.

"You know," he said, holding my hat behind his back. "You're more annoying when you're sulking and brooding, not responding to anyone. I think I've told you that before."

"When did you—"

"So stop feeling depressed about the past. Don't you think you should do all you can to make up for what you did?"

Before I could respond, he put my hat back on. No, he didn't do that gently. He put a lot of force putting my hat on my head that it ended up feeling very uncomfortable and left me incapable of seeing. I pulled my hat off, only to see Blue walking away. I put my hat back on properly this time.

"Holy crap," I said with amazement in my tone. "He's right! I should make up for my past actions. Since I feel proud of my Pokémon for whom they are, I should be the kind of person who they'll feel proud to say to other Pokémon, 'That's my trainer!'"

"That's true, but why did you involve your Pokémon in this," asked Red, who moved so that he was standing next to me.

"Because my Pokémon are my true friends," I said with a smile. "I want to be a better person for my Pokémon."

"I see," he said, turning away to look at the bridge. I looked too, and saw that there were trainers there, waiting leisurely for anyone to pass by. All right, this is my chance to do this the right way! Oh, wait… My Pokémon need to be healed after that battle with Blue.

"I'll be right back," I told Red, walking back to the Pokémon Center. "I need to heal my Pokémon."

I'd rather not go into the details of my trip to the Pokémon Center, nor my quick trip to the Pokémart to stock up on Super Potions. When I returned, I was ready to take on those trainers. I went straight for the first trainer while Red challenged the second trainer.

"Welcome to Nugget Bridge," said the Bug Catcher. "Beat us five trainers and win a fabulous prize! Think you got what it takes?"

"Hell yeah, I do," I said, sending Flare into battle. The Bug Catcher released a typical Caterpie. Flare will make short work of his obvious Bug-type team. As I waited for him to pay me my reward money, I looked over at Red, who undoubtedly won his battle as well. We moved on to the next set of trainers after receiving our reward money. We defeated the next two trainers as well, leaving me to take on the fifth one. Red stayed back and watched, leaning against the rail of bridge as he did so. The last trainer had a tough Mankey but Breeze was able to beat him.

"All right! We did it," I said happily. "Now let's go get that prize!"

We walked up to a man waiting at the end of the bridge. He smiled when we approached him.

"Congratulations! You two beat our five contest trainers," he said enthusiastically. "You just earned a fabulous prize!"

He reached into the pocket of his jacket, taking out a bag that had shiny golden rocks inside.

"Uh, that isn't a new drug or anything, is it," I asked uneasily.

He laughed and replied, "No, these are Nuggets. They're very valuable when you sell them at stores."

He gave Red and me each one Nugget. I can't wait to sell this thing at the Pokémart. It better be as valuable as this guy says it is.

"By the way, how would you two like to join Team Rocket," he asked casually.

"What," I asked, the only thing I could say.

"We're a group of… Professionals who specialize in Pokémon," continued the man. "Want to join?"

"Nice try, but no way," I replied, putting away the Nugget in my bag.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! Stop asking!"

"Come on, join us!"

"No!"

"I'm telling you to join!"

"Are you freaking deaf? I already said 'no'!"

"Okay, you need convincing."

Red suddenly stepped in front of me. Why did he do that for?

"We already made our position quite clear," said Red with such seriousness that it made me shiver. "We don't want to join your organization."

"All right," said the man, pulling out a pokéball. "I'll make you guys an offer you can't refuse!"

The Rocket Grunt—it was obvious he was with Team Rocket if he was trying to get us to join—tossed the pokéball and released an Ekans. Red sent out Ivysaur, who attacked the snake Pokémon with a Vine Whip. Ekans used Leer, reducing Ivysaur's attack power. Ivysaur used another Vine Whip, defeating Ekans. Red returned Ivysaur to his pokéball while the grunt did the same for his fainted Ekans. Red then sent out Pikachu, and waited for the Rocket Grunt to send out his, which was a Zubat. One Thundershock was all it took to defeat Zubat. Wow, that Pikachu sure is tough, not that I expect anything less of Red.

"Damn, I didn't think you'd be this good," said the grunt, calling back his fainted Zubat. "With your ability, you'd become a top leader in Team Rocket."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I told the grunt from behind Red.

"But, think of the opportunity! Don't let this chance go to waste."

"'No' means 'no,'" I said, walking away. Red eyed the grunt cautiously before following me. I walked to this open area not too far away from the bridge. It was nothing but dirt, but I didn't mind.

"Okay, time for a break," I said, sitting on the ground. I released my Pokémon out of their pokéballs, and looked through my bag for their food. I took out two bags, tossing one to Red.

"You should let your Pokémon have some lunch," I said, dividing the Pokémon food evenly for my Pokémon. Flare seemed the most impatient so I gave the Charmeleon his share of food first. I gave some to Static, who sat down and ate it at his own pace. Breeze merely ate his from my hand just like a typical bird Pokémon. Red released his Pokémon, and I was surprised to see a large bird Pokémon with him.

"Whoa! Who's that," I said, pointing at the large bird.

"It's Fearow. He evolved after I defeated one of those trainers on the bridge," he replied calmly as he opened the bag of Pokémon food.

"What about Magikarp," I asked. I'm sure he didn't put Magikarp in the PC or anything.

"There's no water here," he said, giving Pikachu some food. "Only water nearby is the river."

"Then, let's go to the river," I said, getting up. Breeze was slightly surprised, but perched on my hat. I think that Pidgey really likes my hat. Flare and Static carried their food as they followed me to the river. Red then released his Magikarp into the river, and it seemed quite pleased to be in the water. Flare kept his distance from the river, while Ivysaur was content to be near. Our Pikachu ate together, happy to eat in each other's company.

I watched Red give some food to Ivysaur and Fearow, and then tossing the remainder in the water for Magikarp to eat. It sure was calm and peaceful to sit here and watch the Pokémon eat and relax. I reached into my bag and pulled out two bags of miniature blueberry muffins. I handed one to Red, who looked at me with slight surprise.

"What? We need to eat too, you know," I said, opening my bag. We ate quietly while our Pokémon finished their meals. When we were done, I put the trash in my bag and returned my Pokémon back to their pokéballs. I waited for Red to call back his Pokémon before we proceeded. From what Blue said earlier, Bill's house shouldn't be too far away. Hopefully there won't be any distractions or hindrances on our way there. As we walked, I realized I thought too soon. There were more trainers ahead.

"Split up," I asked Red, looking at the trainers.

"Yes," he said, walking down a path. I went down the other, challenging the trainers there. We battled our way through all the trainers until the end, which was Bill's house.

"Finally," I said with a sigh. "We can meet Bill. I wonder what he's like."

"There's only one way to know for sure," he said, knocking on the door. We waited but there was no answer. Red knocked again, but there was still no response. He looked at me, and I just shrugged. He then opened the door and walked in while I followed close behind. Inside, there was this weird pair of machines that looked like teleport capsules of some sort. There was a computer, and a desk, in front of the machines, and a couple of boxes around the room.

"Hello? Bill," I called out, looking around for any sign of him. I don't know what he looks like, but all I have to do is keep an eye out for a human, right? There was some movement behind the computer desk, making Red and I freeze in our places. Then, a Clefairy stepped out, causing Red and I to sigh in relief.

"Oh, it's just a cute little Clefairy," I said, pointing at it. "Well, it looks like Bill isn't here."

"Actually," said the Clefairy, its voice obviously masculine. "Bill is still here."

"It's a talking Clefairy! Quick, Red! We have to catch it!"

"I am a Pokémon, after all… No, wait," said the Clefairy, raising its hands in defense. "I'm not a Pokémon!"

"Oh, yeah? Then, what are you?"

"I'm Bill! I'm a true-blue Pokémaniac!"

Red and I just stared at the Clefairy in disbelief. There's no way Bill could be a Pokémon. Although, it would be pretty cool at the same time.

"Hey, what's with that skeptical look," asked "Bill". "I'm not joshing you two. See, I screwed up an experiment and got combined with a Pokémon. So, will you guys help me out?"

"What do you need help with," asked Red.

"Just wait till I get inside the Teleporter. When I do, go to my PC and run the Cell Separation System," explained Bill, walking to the one of the capsule machines.

Red and I walked to the PC, a little uneasy of what might happen. Red clicked on an icon that read "Cell Separation" with the mouse, which caused the machine to come to life. There was a lot of noise for a couple seconds until everything went silent. The door of the other machine opened up, and a brown-haired man walked out. He wore a blue-violet shirt with brown pants and looked to be about twenty years old or so.

"All right! Thanks, guys! I owe you one," he said happily. "I'm guessing you guys came to see my Pokémon collection?"

We were silent because we were still surprised that he changed from a Clefairy to a person.

"You didn't? That's a bummer," said Bill, looking a little disappointed. "I've got to thank you somehow… Oh, here, maybe this'll do."

He walked over to his computer desk and opened a drawer. He searched through a stack of papers until he took out two small papers from it. He gave them to us, which turned out to be tickets for the S.S. Anne. We put them away in our bags for safe keeping.

"That cruise ship S.S. Anne is in Vermilion City," explained Bill. "I hear there are lots of trainers on board, too. They invited me to their party, but I can't stand those fancy people. Why don't the both of you go instead of me? Go on and have a good time."

"Wow. Thanks, Bill," I said, my sincerity obvious. "I hear you also have rare Pokémon. Can we see them?"

"Ah, yes. You can see them on my PC. Go on and see."

Red and I checked out the PC again, and saw four pictures of different Pokémon. An Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon showed up. They looked quite peculiar but cool at the same time. I wonder… Where you can find these Pokémon? It would be nice to have one of them, or all of them.

"Thanks again, Bill," I said, stepping away from the PC. "We have to go now so we'll see you later."

"Any time," he said with a smile. "See you again later."

Red and I walked out of Bill's house as I waved goodbye to him. He's a pretty nice guy. Not just that but he has a nice place to. Well, not the indoor décor but the location. It was by the sea and near two large ponds. I'd love a house around here too. I pulled out of my thoughts when I saw a couple walk in front of me. A blonde-haired woman, who wore a pink dress, and a brown-haired man, wearing a dark blue shirt with jeans, looked over at me and Red.

"They look so cute together," said the woman to her date. Well, I think he's her date.

"Hey, wait a minute," I said, the couple stopping and looking at us again. "I'm not with that guy!"

"Oh, sorry," apologized the blonde. "It's just that since you two were here at Cerulean Cape."

"What does being here have to do with anything," asked Red, beating me to it.

"You see," began the man. "Cerulean Cape is known for being the most romantic date spot in all of Kanto. If you're out here, it should be as a couple."

"She's the last person I'd ever want to be associated in such a way."

Wow, Red, you make me feel so special… Not. He's probably still pissed off that I got him into trouble earlier for beating up people.

"Come on," I said, grabbing his arm. "We have to go take on the gym leader in Cerulean."

We went down this very long side road back to Cerulean. It was a shortcut back, though it still took a while to get back to the city. We walked through the streets, making our way to the gym. We stopped by the Pokémon Center to heal up our Pokémon before taking on the gym. Once that was done, we went back to searching for the gym. Although, it turned out that the gym was right next to the Pokémon Center. Holy crap, how did I miss that? I think I need some glasses or something. The sign out front said, "Misty: The Tomboyish Mermaid."

"That's a weird title," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"I think she uses Water-type Pokémon," said Red, looking at the gym.

"Let's just go in," I said, walking through the door. "There's only one way to find out."

To my surprise, a huge swimming pool filled the inside of the gym. I guess Red was right. If these trainers use Water-types, then Static and Pikachu will be more than a match for them.

"How about you go first," I offered to Red. "I mean, it won't be fair if we take on Misty one after another."

"Since when did you care about being fair?"

I scoffed at him, putting my hands at my hips in disbelief.

"I do have standards, you know," I retorted. "Besides, I feel like dipping my feet in the water. You go on and take on Misty!"

Red just walked away while I took off my shoes and socks. I really did feel like dipping my feet in the water. All that walking to Bill's house and back was exhausting. Still, it was worth it. We got prize money, battle experience, and tickets to the S.S. Anne. I pulled out Static's pokéball, and released him, having him join me. Well, he only sat down with me. It was better than sitting there by myself. I sat back and relaxed while I watched Red defeat the few gym trainers here. I lay down and stared at the ceiling, my feet dangling off the edge. A quick nap wouldn't hurt… However, the nap only felt like ten minutes when I felt something tapping my arm. I woke up and saw Red and Static staring at me.

"Are you done," I asked him, rubbing my eyes.

"I've been done. It's your turn now."

"Got it," I said, putting my socks and shoes back on. I got up and went to the first trainer, Static following close behind me. The first trainer turned out to be some guy swimming in the water.

"All right," yelled the swimmer. "Let's do it!"

He quickly tossed out a pokéball that held a Horsea inside. It was undoubtedly a Water-type so I sent out Static.

"Take it out with a Thundershock," I said with a yawn.

Sure enough, that Horsea was down for the count. The swimmer then sent out a Shellder, which was a weird clam Pokémon that stuck out its tongue. Another Thundershock was all it took to defeat it.

"What," yelled the swimmer, calling back his Shellder and taking out wet money. "That can't be!"

"Well, that was easy," I said, taking my prize money quickly before I even thought about where he was keeping it.

"Misty won't lose to someone like you," yelled the swimmer to my back.

I rolled my eyes. I'm sure Static can take on her Pokémon. I'm very confident in his abilities and he won't let me down. I carefully walked down the path in case it might be wet. I don't want to slip and fall into the water. That is, until a girl saw me and ran up to me. I don't think this path is wet.

"You," she asked with surprise. "I'm more than good enough for you! Misty won't have to be bothered!"

That first part sounded rather awkward to be said to me. Actually, the whole thing sounded weird. This girl made it sound like I was asking her on a date.

"Um, I don't really go that way," I explained to her. "But, hey, I don't judge."

"What? No! I was talking about battling," she said with a frustrated look on her face. She tossed a pokéball, releasing a Goldeen. Heh, looks like this fish is more than ready to be zapped by a Thundershock.

"Thundershock," I said to Static. Static's red cheeks released a bolt of electricity, successfully hitting the Goldeen. Much to my surprise, it didn't faint. This one is tougher than I thought. Goldeen used Water Sport, wetting the area around it.

"Use Quick Attack," I said, Static performing the attack. That attack made the Goldeen faint, ending the battle.

"I guess facing other trainers helps to show how good you really are," commented the girl, returning her Goldeen back to its pokéball.

"And I'll prove how good I really am by defeating Misty," I said, walking past the girl. I stopped for a brief moment, and searched through my bag. I took out the Rare Candy, opening it and handing the round sweet to Static.

"Here, eat this," I told Static, who took it and ate it. "Better to be prepared."

I walked to the girl standing on a stand that had the number one inscribed into it. She had her orange hair in a sideways ponytail, and she was only wearing a purple bikini. She looked over at me and smiled, hopping down from her pedestal.

"Hi, you're a new face," she said happily. "Well, aside from that cute Red guy I battled earlier. Only those trainers who have a policy about Pokémon can turn pro. What is your approach when you catch and train Pokémon?"

"It would be a balanced team so to speak," I replied, shaking off the fact that she called Red "cute."

"My policy is an all-out offensive with Water-type Pokémon," she said, tossing out a pokéball that released a Staryu. I began the battle with Static using a Thundershock, which, to my surprise, made Staryu faint. It could all be luck, but I don't really care at the moment. Misty called back Staryu and sent out Starmie. It attacked with a Water Pulse while I had Static attack with a Thunder Wave, paralyzing Starmie. I then had Static use Thundershock, but Starmie counterattacked with Water Pulse, making Static faint.

I called back Static, knowing full well this was going to be difficult, and sent out Breeze. Breeze attacked with Gust, which Starmie endured while suffering from paralysis. I then used a Revive, which I found in Mt. Moon, and used it on Static. Starmie did almost the same by using Recover. Breeze used another Gust while Starmie countered with Water Pulse.

With another Gust, Breeze was able to weaken Starmie some more, but Starmie attacked with another Water Pulse. Breeze fainted from the attack, which led me to do a bit of a gamble. I sent out Static, who was half-weak after being revived. I had him use Thundershock, hoping that it will bring this battle to an end. Starmie took the attack, fainting from it.

"Wow, you're too much," said Misty, returning Starmie to its pokéball.

"You did it, Static," I yelled happily, the Pikachu jumping up into my arms. Static then began to look at the pokéballs on my belt, and glared at me.

"Oh," I said, holding Breeze's pokéball in my hand. "You did a good job Breeze. I'll make it up to you somehow."

"All right," said Misty, getting my attention. "You can have the Cascade Badge to show you have beaten me."

She walked to her pedestal, grabbing something from behind it. She picked up a small velvet pouch, opened it, and pulled out a teardrop-shaped badge. She then handed me the badge, which I took eagerly. I put it in a special case I had bought earlier when I went to the Pokémart to get those Super Potions. I placed it right next to the silver Boulder Badge.

"That badge will make stronger Pokémon you get in trades to obey you," explained Misty. "Also, it allows you to use the move Cut anytime, even outside of battle. Cut can help get rid of small trees to open new pathways. You can also have my favorite TM."

She handed me a case with a cd in it, much like the one Brock gave me but with a blue color to it. I put it away in my bag, in another case where I put all my TMs in.

"That TM teaches Water Pulse. Be sure to use it on aquatic Pokémon," she said, jumping up on her pedestal.

I smiled at her while I walked away. I made my way back to the gym's entrance, but I noticed that Red wasn't there. He's probably outside. I walked out, and saw Red standing nearby, looking over at something beyond the gym.

"What are you looking at," I asked him when I approached.

"There's something going on in that house over there. Whatever it is, it isn't good."

"Okay, let me heal my Pokémon. Then we'll go check it out," I said, going to the Pokémon Center. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I walked in. Why is it that I always find myself in some kind of trouble?

* * *

**_A/N: That damn Starmie was really annoying to beat. It actually took me a while to beat Misty because of that freaking Starmie. Well, it's done and over with, at least. This chapter sure took a while to write, but I hope it leaves you all satisfied. Now to work on the next chapter. Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you all who have reviewed my past chapters! It helps me know that there are people who are reading and enjoying this story._**


	8. Free Stuff Plus a Diglett

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

I walked out of the Pokémon Center, stretching my arms out tiredly. I looked at the sun—well, not directly at it—and saw that it would set in an hour or so. Today sure has been long day. Yet, there was still something going on. I was exhausted from everything. Traveling from Pewter City, going through Mt. Moon, that Team Rocket stuff, and going to Bill's house… Really, I've never done so much work before. Red walked up to me, and then looked at the house nearby. I sighed, and gave him a tired look.

"Do we really have to go see what's going on," I asked him.

"The police are there. It seems something serious happened," he replied, walking away.

"Oh, cool! Is someone getting arrested? It's hilarious when the cops arrest someone that's resisting. It'll be just like that TV show," I said, following Red. "'Cops of Celadon!'"

We walked through the streets until we reached the house. A police officer walked out of the house, looking rather disappointed.

"Hey, what happened here," I asked the officer.

"Eh, the people here were robbed. From what the victims told me, Team Rocket is behind this. I've already called headquarters to find fingerprints inside. It's best if you don't go inside," he said, moving to the side and writing something in a notebook.

Team Rocket again? I'm getting really sick of them causing trouble everywhere I go. I peered in the window to see what happened. The living room was ransacked, a sign that someone was obviously looking for something. I looked back at the cop, who was on the phone talking to someone. I then signaled Red to follow me inside. We walked in quietly because, well, we were curious about what happened. However, we were quickly found out.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing in my house," yelled a large man. Shit, the cop outside probably heard that booming voice.

"Oh, um," I began, trying to think up a good lie. "Well, we're investigators. We're here to help catch the culprit!"

"Huh? Aren't you both a little young to be investigators?"

"No because that would be discrimination against our age. Isn't that right, Red?"

"Yes," said Red with a nod. "I'd hate to sue the police force for refusing us a job due to our age."

"Anyway," I began. "Was Team Rocket really behind this crime?"

"Yes," said the man angrily. "Those damn Rockets! They trashed my home! And for what? A TM I had that teaches Pokémon how to Dig! I was going to use that TM on a Mankey or a Sandshrew… That thing cost me a lot of money!"

"Don't worry, sir," I said, looking at the large hole in the back of his house. "We'll find this guy and bring him to justice!"

Red and I walked through the hole, a little wary as to where the Rocket grunt may be hiding. We walked further away from the house, looking for that thief. But, that search didn't last long.

"Hey! Stay out," yelled the Rocket grunt, running up to us. "It's not your yard!"

Had we been undercover cops, I'd say this guy was a huge idiot.

"Then what about you," asked Red, making the grunt look surprised.

"Huh? Me? I'm just an innocent bystander! Don't you believe me?"

I gave him a skeptical look. Really, from the witnesses and possible fingerprints, this guy has a lot of accusations of being guilty. The only thing missing is hard evidence. The grunt then pulled out a pokéball and tossed it, releasing a Machop. I sent out Flare, who attacked the Machop with Ember. Machop countered with a Low Kick, hurting Flare a little. Flare then used Scratch to finish it off, making Machop faint. The grunt called back his Machop and sent out a Drowzee. It was a really weird looking Pokémon. Flare used another Ember while the Drowzee used Confusion.

Confusion? Hmm… That can only mean that this is a Psychic-type, but I could be wrong. Other non-Psychics can use Confusion, I think. Flare used Scratch again, causing more damage than Ember. It looks like this Pokémon has a low defense. Drowzee used Headbutt, hurting Flare a little more. However, he was still going strong. Flare then made Drowzee faint with another Scratch. That wasn't so hard. Compared to Misty, that is.

"Stop," said the grunt, cowering a little while calling back his Drowzee. "I give up! I'll leave quietly!"

"Who said you're leaving? We're turning you in," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Okay," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cd case. "I'll return the TM I stole."

"What?"

Did this guy even hear me? I said that we were going to turn him in, not ask for the stolen TM. He really is an idiot. Red took the TM from him, putting it away in backpack.

"I better get going. Bye," said the grunt hastily, running away.

"He got away," I said, watching him disappear into the shadows. "So much for bringing him to justice."

"However, we did get the TM back from him," explained Red. "Also, there'd be no point in arresting him. From what we've seen of Team Rocket, chances are they'll just keep coming back, even if one of them is arrested."

We went back inside the house, unsure of what to say to the cop or the man.

"Did you find him," asked the large man once we were inside.

"Um," I started, trying to come up with someone that would satisfy him.

"Well, no matter," said the man with a shrug. "What's lost is lost. I decided to teach Diglett how to Dig without a TM!"

"Let's just go, Red," I said with a sigh. "I'm tired."

We walked out of the house, heading back to the Pokémon Center. We talked to the nurse there, who gave us rooms to stay in for the night. Usually, I stay up a little later than this, but I did too much today to keep my eyes open any longer. Tomorrow, we have to head to… Ugh, I can't even remember now. I walked down the hall and entered my room while Red went into his. I yawned as I put my bag near my bed. I sat on the bed and then lied down, resting my head on the pillow. My eyes were feeling very droopy, and I still had to change into my pajamas. Eh, that didn't matter. I was too tired to give a crap about changing.

* * *

What I had planned turned out to be quite different. After our stay in the Pokémon Center, I was hoping to leave and head to Vermilion City. However, I got a little lazy. Not that I intended to be lazy, but I was rather sore from all that walking. I spent the next day sleeping half of it away, and when I finally woke up, I went to Bill's house to visit him. We mainly just talked about Pokémon, which he truly is fanatic about. I had asked him about my Pidgey, Breeze, because Breeze had not yet evolved. When I had battled Blue, his Pidgey already evolved into Pidgeotto. I know for sure that Breeze was as strong as that Pidgeotto. Bill examined Breeze and told me that Breeze was simply choosing not to evolve yet. I found that a little odd. Why wouldn't he want to evolve?

Red, on the other hand, was diligently training to make his Pokémon stronger. That guy… Can't he just relax for a day? Is Blue doing the same? Although, I respect them for working so hard. If I didn't know any better, I'd say these guys were workaholics. Well, after my visit from Bill, I went back to the Pokémon Center to sleep some more. My Pokémon really did need a day off from training and all, especially after everything I've put them through. I wouldn't be surprised if they disliked me in some way. However, the idea was rather depressing.

Anyway, this brings us to where we are now. We had left the Pokémon Center; the morning sun had just risen not too long ago. We walked south, trying to find the route out of the city. Although, only a tall fence provided a border around the city. The only way out was a hole that was blocked by a tree covered in thorns. I wouldn't dare touch that with my bare hands.

"Doesn't look like there's a way out of this city," I said, looking around for another alternative route.

"What about the house that Rocket grunt broke into," asked Red, looking in the direction of the house. "I doubt they made any repairs by now."

"That's genius! But, we're going to have to be really quiet if we're breaking in."

"Who said anything about breaking in? We could just knock and ask permission to get in."

Damn it, Red. You made me look like an immoral burglar right now. Well, whatever, we should go over there and try your method. We walked to that house again, hoping that the guy would let us through his house. Red knocked on the door, and we waited for a response. The door opened, a big sleepy guy staring at us in his shirt and sweatpants.

"What do you guys want," he asked with a yawn. "It's too damn early for me to be up."

"We wanted to ask you permission to let us through your house," explained Red. "I'm sure you remember us from the day you were robbed."

"Oh, you're those two investigators. Thanks for helping out. Anyway, sure, you guys can go through," he said, opening the door to let us in. We quickly walked in and made our way out through the hole in the back, which was covered up with a tarp. We slid under it, and were finally outside. We followed the path down until we were south of Cerulean. I took out my Town Map to see where our next destination was.

"Hm, we have to pass through Saffron City to get to Vermilion City," I said, showing Red the map. "Vermilion is where the next gym is."

Red only glanced at the map before continuing on. We walked down Route 5, which was mainly a pair of roads with patches of grass in the middle. It was separated from the roads with a fence. As we walked along the dirt road, I noticed a house at the bottom but it looked like the only way to get to it was going down the middle path. I ran up to get a better look at it. On the front door, there was a sign that said, "Pokémon Daycare. We raise your Pokémon while you travel!" Well, I don't have any Pokémon that needs to be raised.

"Hey, Red," I began, getting his attention. "Why don't you leave your Magikarp here? They'll be able to raise it for you."

"I don't have any need for that. My Magikarp evolved into Gyarados," replied Red, walking past me.

"What? How did it already evolve," I asked with surprise in my tone.

"While you were doing pretty much nothing yesterday, I spent that whole day training Magikarp until he evolved."

Okay, now he's calling me lazy. Well, excuse me for wanting a day off! I saw Red walk to the gate that led to Saffron. I followed him, knowing that this meant we were closer to Vermilion. Inside the gate, there was a long rug on the floor with a couple plants along the walls. There were also a set of counters, one of which had a security guard behind it. As soon as he saw us, he jumped over the counter and stood in front of us, blocking our way.

"I'm a guard here," he said with a strong voice, probably trying to express his authority. "The road's closed so you can't go to Saffron City."

"When will the roads open again," I asked him.

"That I don't know, but if you check the other gates regularly, maybe you'll find out soon."

"Um, thanks. We'll be going then."

Red and I walked out of the gate. But, as we did so, I heard the guard say something like "Man, I'm thirsty." If he's so thirsty, why doesn't he just go buy something to drink? It's not like he has to be there 24/7. When we were outside, I noticed a strange building to the right of us. Damn it, how come I didn't see that before? I really need to see an eye doctor or something. Red went to take a look at the sign that was in front of it.

"It's an underground path," he said, reading it. "It will take us straight to Vermillion."

"Awesome! We'll probably get there really soon then," I said happily.

Red opened the door and walked in, I following close behind. Inside the building, there was only a set of stairs, which descended down to a lower level. It looked rather dim at the bottom of the stairs but there seemed to be enough light to see. We carefully went down the stairs until we reached the bottom floor. It was a long hallway that stretched for hundreds of feet. Since this path is going underneath Saffron, I'm not all that surprised. We started walking down the hall, our footsteps creating echoes. I looked down at the floor, watching the floor go from brown to blue to red and then back to brown.

We eventually reached the stairs at the opposite end and walked up. The upper level was designed the same way as the other room near Cerulean, which was creepy. We went straight for the door and stepped out into the morning air outside. We were in Route 6 now, which had a winding path with lots of grass around. From the look of it, there were also trainers waiting around too. This was going to be fun.

We walked down the path, challenging the trainers there. It was a good way for our Pokémon to get some experience. Not just that but we also get prize money for winning. After all that, we finally arrived in Vermilion City. It was a very nice looking city, being that the sea was right there. The smell of the ocean was in the air, which smelled so fragrant to me. Nothing compares to the salty air when you're by the ocean. It reminded me of home since Pallet Town was close to the sea. The winds would sometimes push that ocean breeze to the town, and I would open the window in my room so that I could smell that scent.

The first thing we did in the city was go to the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon. While we waited for our Pokémon to be healed, a strange girl walked up to us. She wore a strange all red outfit with a traveler's bag swung over her shoulder, and she had her hair in a ponytail. She also had this serious look on her face.

"You guys look like you have a lot of determination and fight inside you," she began. "Have you ever had the urge to battle with someone you've fought before? I'm sure you have."

"How can you—" I started until she spoke again, cutting me off.

"I wanted to battle certain people again over and over, too," she interrupted, reaching into her bag and pulling out strange blue-and-white devices. "So, I've been giving these away. Please, take one!"

She gave Red and I each a device, which we put away in our bags.

"Use that VS Seeker and you'll find trainers looking for a rematch. You have to charge its battery to use it, though."

She then walked away, going to the furthest wall away from everyone. That was pretty weird but much appreciated. With this VS Seeker, I'll be able to challenge trainers and get more experience for my Pokémon. The nurse called us, informing us that our Pokémon were all healed. We picked up our Pokémon and left the Pokémon Center.

"Wow, this place is pretty big," I said, looking at the beach that was so close by. "Where should we go first?"

"It doesn't really matter to me," said Red with a shrug. That sure was very decisive and helpful, Red. In a way, it's nice that he doesn't complain a lot, but it's a little frustrating not knowing what he likes or dislikes. Blue, however, would straight out tell me what he didn't like but it gets damn annoying when he does it all the time. I'm starting to wonder if these frustrations is what caused me to stop being around them. Wait… Why did I stop hanging out with Blue and Red?

"Aw, shit," yelled someone, pulling me away from my thoughts. Nearby, a man with a white jacket, brown pants, and a red and white hat was fishing. He had reeled in his line to see that there was no fish hooked. I walked up to him to get a closer look.

"Did it get away," I asked him, startling him a little.

"Yep, and I was so close to reeling it in and catching it," he said with a sigh.

"Are there a lot of aquatic Pokémon?"

"Why yes, little lady. There are many species of water Pokémon. Would you like to try your hand at fishing?"

"But I don't know how to—"

"It's a simple thing! I'm the Fishing Guru, and I simply love fishing! And I get the feeling that you will too!"

"How do you know—"

"Take this and fish like no tomorrow," said the fisherman, giving me a wooden fishing rod. "Now this means that we're friends! Fishing is a way of life! It is like the finest poetry. From the seas to rivers, go out and land a big one!"

"Hey, can I have another one for my friend over there," I said, pointing behind me at Red.

"Does he love fishing too?"

"Um, yes. In fact, he's a fan of yours. He even has almost the same hat as you."

"Fans of mine are always welcome to get fishing rods," he said, going inside a nearby house and walking out with another fishing rod. "Here you go! That one is even autographed for your friend!"

"Thanks," I said with a smile. I walked away from him back to Red. He gave me a weird look when he saw the old fishing rods in my hands.

"Here you go," I said, giving him one. "I got you a fishing rod."

"Thank you," he said, a little surprised. He took the fishing rod and put it away in his backpack while I did the same for mine.

"We should go find the gym in this city," said Red, giving me a serious look. "It's best to know what kind of Pokémon the gym leader specializes in so that we can make preparations." We walked through the grassy… Uh, streets, I guess. Eventually, we found a large building close to the beach. However, the only way in was blocked by one of those thorny trees. We really need to find a way to get rid of them. Red walked around the building until he saw the sign for the gym.

"'Lt. Surge: The Lightning American,'" said Red, reading the sign. "He most likely uses Electric-types."

"Electric-types," I asked with disappointment.

"What's wrong with that?"

"You don't know? Electric-types have only one weakness! And that weakness is the Ground-type!"

"Ground-types? Where can we find some?"

"I really have no idea," I said, turning around and seeing another building. This building had a sign out front that said, "Pokémon Fan Club! All Pokémon Fans Welcome!" There was really such a club in this world? It's so awesome that I can't even believe it. I ran inside, leaving Red behind in confusion. Inside, there were four people sitting around a square table, two of them with a Pikachu and some other white Pokémon I've never seen before. The room inside was decorated nicely. There was a lovely purple square rug on the floor, bookcases in the back, plants lined up nicely against two walls, and the leather couches where the people were sitting at looked quite comfy.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Fan Club," said a girl in a pink dress. "This is Seel. Isn't he so cute?"

"As if," said the large guy, wearing a white shirt with red pants. "My Pikachu is twice as cuter than your Seel!"

As these two began to get into a heated argument about which of their Pokémon were cuter, I quietly walked away. I'd rather not get caught in the middle of this. I was well on my way to escape from here until someone grabbed my hand. I looked back in surprise to see an older gentleman smiling at me.

"Don't let those two scare you off," he said with a laugh, letting go of my hand. "They're just so fanatic about Pokémon that they let their passions get the better of them."

"I'd say they're a bit too passionate," I remarked, looking at the two fans get into a verbal fight.

"Excuse my manners. I'm the chairman of the club. I've raised more than a hundred Pokémon. And who are you?"

"I'm Leaf, a Pokémon trainer trying to earn badges."

"Oh, then you will like my story," he said happily. "I'm very fussy when it comes to Pokémon. But the one who has my heart is my Rapidash. It's cute, lovely, smart, and amazing. Wouldn't you think so?"

"I haven't seen—"

"Oh, yes, it's stunning," he continued, interrupting me. "I just simply love it. I love hugging it because it's so warm and cuddly. It's spectacular and ravishing… Oops, look at the time! I've been rambling again, haven't I?"

"Not really. I have plenty—"

"Thank you for hearing me out," he said, taking out a rectangular piece of paper and giving it to me. "I want you to have this!"

I put away the coupon in my bag, a little unsure of what it's for.

"Take that Bike Voucher to the bike shop in Cerulean City. Exchange that for a bicycle free of charge! I have no need for it because my Fearow can Fly me anywhere I need to go. But I hope you like cycling!"

"Thank you," I said happily. "Now I can finally get a bike!"

I walked out with a smile on my face, walking back to the still confused Red.

"Why did you run off like that," he asked with curiosity.

"I just wanted to see what that club was like. Anyway, I think you should go there too! I listened to the old guy there talk about his Pokémon and then he gave me a coupon for a bike just for listening to him!"

Red seemed to perk up at what I said. He walked past me and went inside the club. I don't know how long he'll be there, but I'll explore the city in the meantime. I walked through the streets, looking at all the houses and buildings there. There was a harbor close by with a large cruise ship docked there. I think that's the S.S. Anne Bill was talking about before, the one he gave us tickets for. As much as I'd love to board it, I think I should wait for Red. It wouldn't be fair to leave him behind like that.

I walked past the harbor, knowing that it won't be long until I board it. I then noticed a wooden sign to the side of the road. I went over and read it. It could be something important for all I know. Hmm… It seemed liked Route 12 is blocked off by a sleeping Pokémon, and that the only way to Lavender Town was through the Rock Tunnel. Now, where are all those places again? I took out my Town Map and began to look for them. To get to Lavender Town, we'd have to back to Cerulean, travel down Route 9, and then go through the Rock Tunnel. That's one hell of a detour.

Then again, by going back to Cerulean, we'd be able to get the bikes. I can't wait to show that smug bastard of a clerk that I can afford a bike, and it's going to be free. I traveled down the road a little, seeing a small cave to my left. The sign next to it said "Diglett's Cave." It would be worth checking out, but I should probably stay close to the entrance. I don't want Red to miss out on this. I walked in the cave only to be greeted by an old guy standing there.

"Isn't this a surprise," he said happily. "Diglett dug this long tunnel! I hear it goes right to Viridian City!"

"All the way to Viridian? That's pretty convenient," I said, looking at the ladder that descended to a lower floor. I went down the ladder and reached the bottom. I kept my hand at Breeze's pokéball in case any wild Diglett should appear. I'm not sure how they look like but they should be pretty noticeable, right? I took only a couple steps until a strange brown thing popped out of the ground. It had a red nose, and the rest of its body was hidden underground. This must be a Diglett! I tossed Breeze's pokéball and had him use Tackle on the Diglett. That looked to weaken it enough to be caught.

I threw a pokéball at it, causing the Diglett to be drawn inside it. It fell to the ground, and began to shake. It shook once, then twice. Come on, stay inside the pokéball! It shook a third time, and I could feel my stomach doing summersaults as I stared at the ball. Even Breeze was staring at it attentively, almost like he was daring the Diglett to escape and suffer consequences. The pokéball made an audible click, signaling the capture of a new Pokémon.

"Yes," I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the cave. I grabbed the pokéball, staring at it with happiness. Breeze flew and landed on my hat, staring at the pokéball as well.

"Give a nickname to the captured Diglett, un-evolved primate," asked a very familiar, yet dreadful, monotonous voice. I know that voice from anywhere. I reached in my bag and pulled out my Pokédex, seeing the page of description about Diglett. It turned out that it was female and had an adamant nature.

"Yes, I'd like to name her," I told my Pokédex.

"Please provide your crude title of identification, mediocre buffoon," said my Pokédex. I swear, next time I go to Pallet Town, I'm asking Professor Oak for some kind of upgrade or something. I'm getting sick of this jerkass Pokédex insulting me every time I catch a Pokémon. I put in the name, which was "Terra." When that was done, I put away my Pokédex before it said anything else. I went back to the ladder and climbed up, Breeze still on my hat. I walked out of the cave and went back to Vermilion City to heal up Terra. On my way back, I saw Red walking down the street, looking very discontent.

"Hey, Red," I called out, running up to him. "Guess what?"

"Do you know how long I had to sit there listening to that old guy talk," he suddenly asked, glaring at me.

I have to admit that seeing Red angry is very rare. I always figured he didn't anger easily or he was good at hiding or controlling his emotions. Still, it still surprises me to see him angry.

"Um, only two minutes," I replied, knowing that that was a horrible guess.

"No, fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of him talking nonstop about his Rapidash."

"But did you get the bike coupon thingy?"

"Fortunately, yes. So it was worth it," he said with a sigh, looking calmer now. "What were you going to tell me anyway?"

"Oh, yeah! I went to that Diglett's Cave down over there and caught a Diglett! I named her Terra!"

"Is it a Ground-type?"

I didn't really think of it, but Terra should be a Ground-type. I took out my Pokémon to check, just in case.

"She is a Ground-type," I said with a smile. "All I have to do is train her and we'll be ready for Lt. Surge! But first, a quick heal would help."

I walked to the Pokémon Center as Red followed me. While we waited for my Pokémon to heal, I decided to ask Red a question.

"Hey, do you want to go check out the S.S. Anne?"

"I'd rather train first. Route 11 should be a good place for that," he replied with a serious tone.

Typical Red… But that was definitely a good idea. Terra could use some experience before we challenge Lt. Surge. Although, we can't challenge him until we find a way to chop down that freaking tree.

* * *

**_A/N: Poor Leaf kept getting interrupted by people... Yet I find it amusing and funny. Anyway, looks like the Pokedex has made a brief return. Does anyone find it strange that Leaf doesn't go out and "catch 'em all?" I like to imagine that she does, but I'm too lazy to write it out. Only captures I write about are the ones that the protagonists will use in their party. Also, I find it coincidental that a Diglett has an adamant nature. Now, I know that all Pokemon can have any nature. I just think it's funny that they're stubborn like rocks, being that I associate Ground-types with the earth. So, thanks again to all my readers/reviewers! I'll have the S.S. Anne chapter up as soon as possible._**


	9. All Aboard the SS Anne

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

"Okay, now let's go do some training," I said enthusiastically. Red and I were outside, walking through the grassy streets of Vermilion. Since he wanted to train in Route 11, we were heading over there. It really was a good idea since I can train Terra, my newly caught Diglett, and my other Pokémon. There was also the idea that there might be different types of Pokémon to catch in that area. We finally reached Route 11, which had a couple trainers already there and lots of tall grass. For now, it was the perfect place to train. Red and I split up, going our own ways to train.

I first went to the grass so that I could train Terra. It would be best if she was as strong as the rest of my team. Also, I have no idea how strong the trainers are here and it wouldn't be fair to have Terra fight a Pokémon stronger than her. As I trained her, she eventually learned Dig, which isn't all too surprising given that she's a Ground-type. I had Terra battle against wild Pokémon until I was confident that she was strong enough to battle against the trainers' Pokémon. I made a quick trip to the Pokémon Center so that she was in perfect condition to battle. Before returning to Route 11, I made another stop at the Pokémart to buy some Paralyze Heals. Better to have some around, especially since the gym leader here specializes in Electric-types.

When I went back to Route 11, I challenged the trainers there. All my Pokémon were doing very well against them, but I did my best to have Terra battle more often. She still wasn't as strong as my other Pokémon, but I'm sure she can catch up if I train her right. While I battled against the trainers, I remembered that there was a sleeping Pokémon in Route 12. Whatever it is, I'd like to go see it. Besides, if it was a rare Pokémon, I'd like to catch one before Blue. I snapped out of my thoughts to focus on the battle. One of those Youngsters challenged me, and he was down to his last Pokémon, a Raticate. Breeze was currently fighting it, having already weakened it with Gust. I had Breeze use Quick Attack to finish it off.

Sure enough, that brought the battle to an end. However, I noticed something was going on with Breeze. He suddenly started glowing brightly as his shape began to change. When the blinding light finally disappeared, Breeze was a little unrecognizable. He had a crest of long red feathers on his head, his tail feathers a patterned red and yellow, and he was noticeably bigger than before.

"Congratulations," said my monotonous Pokédex from my bag. "Your Pidgey evolved into Pidgeotto."

"Awesome," I yelled, admiring Breeze's new form. "But this means you can't be sitting on my head anymore."

Breeze merely looked away from me, staring at the ground instead. Maybe he didn't want to evolve because he liked sitting on my head? He then looked back at me and flew up, pecking at my hat.

"Whoa! Hey," I said, bringing up my hands in defense. "What are you doing?"

I felt my hat be pulled off, and looked to see it in Breeze's beak. He landed on the ground and dropped my hat, and then sat on it, nestling into it.

"I see," I said, staring at Breeze in disbelief. "If you can't perch on my head, you'll use my hat as a nest instead. Heh, that rhymed."

I returned Breeze back to his pokéball, much to his displeasure, and picked up my hat, dusting it off. I didn't expect something like this from Breeze. From Flare, yes, but not Breeze. I guess even Pokémon can surprise you. I continued on through Route 11, challenging the few trainers left. At the end of the route, there was a gate, connecting Route 11 and 12 together. That sleeping Pokémon must be nearby! I went inside the gate, and saw two guards there. They looked at me briefly before looking away, probably thinking that I wasn't a threat. I saw a set of stairs in the corner of the room and went up to the second floor.

To my surprise, Red was already there. He was sitting by a table, looking out the window. I walked over to the table and sat down across from him.

"Hey, Red," I said, greeting him. "How long were you sitting here?"

"Not very long. I only came up here for a quick break," he replied, not looking at me.

"Did you hear that there's a sleeping Pokémon in Route 12? Because of it, people have to take detours to get to Lavender Town."

"A sleeping Pokémon," he asked, finally looking away from the window and at me. He then averted his gaze to someplace behind me. Oh, crap, don't tell me Blue is here. I looked back and saw a guy in a white lab coat standing by the stairs. When he saw us, he smiled and walked over to our table.

"Hi! Do you guys remember me," he asked rather eagerly.

"Not really," I replied bluntly, causing him to look disappointed.

"Oh, well, I'm one of Professor Oak's aides. I came over here to wait for you two, but it seems like you beat me to it. Anyway, do your Pokédexes have complete data on 30 species?"

Red and I were silent. I highly doubted that either of us had caught that many.

"I take it that you haven't caught 30 kinds of Pokémon yet. When you do, please come back here. I have a special item that can help you on your journey!"

We nodded, and then got up from the table. I looked at the windows and saw that there were binoculars there. I went up to one, peering through to see whatever I could find. Close to the gate, there was a large Pokémon lying in the middle of the road. Aside from Onix, I've never seen a Pokémon that big before. Well, not big in a fat way, that is.

"Red! Come here and look," I said, calling him over. He walked over to me and looked through the binoculars. I was sure he saw the huge sleeping Pokémon.

"We should go see what, exactly, it is," said Red, walking away. I followed him as he headed downstairs. We walked out of the gate and followed the short path to Route 12. And there it was. A large Pokémon just lying around as if it had nothing better to do. I grabbed a stick and poked its side with it. Red gave me a strange look as I poked the Pokémon.

"Well, it's not dead, that's for sure," I said, still poking the Pokémon. "I wonder why it's sleeping here of all places?"

"I'm not so sure but we should probably go around until we can find a way to wake it up," replied Red, turning back.

"Wake it up? Why the hell would you want to do that? It's already asleep! This is the perfect chance to try to catch it!"

"A Pokémon like that? It'd be wiser to weaken it first instead of just throwing, and wasting, a pokéball. We should head back to Vermilion, it's getting late."

I looked to the west to see the sun already setting. Time sure went by fast. It must have been all the training I was doing. We walked the whole way back to Vermilion, which only took us fifteen minutes. As we walked past the harbor, I stared at the S.S. Anne, wondering if it will stay just long enough for us to board it tomorrow. We went to the Pokémon Center and got some rooms to stay in. I set my bag on my bed and changed into my pajamas. I stuffed my dirty clothes into my bag and set it aside next to the bed. I crawled into the bed and went to sleep, tired out from the busy day.

* * *

I sat on the chair, trying my best to be patiently as possible. I was at the Pokémon Center, waiting for Red to get his ass down here so we could check out the S.S. Anne. He sure was taking a while. I sighed, looking up and staring at the ceiling. Red should hurry up and get down here soon. Who knows how long the S.S. Anne would stay docked at the harbor. I looked away from the ceiling and at the stairs, seeing Red coming down.

"It's about time," I said, getting up from the chair. "I was going to leave you here if you didn't show up in the next five minutes."

"I doubt you would have done that," he said, walking past me.

"What," I asked, following him out the door. "I could have so left you behind!"

I could have sworn that, for a split second, his mouth curved slightly into a smirk. But it was hard to tell seeing him from the side. We walked to Vermilion Harbor, and I was relieved to see that the large cruise ship was still there. As we walked on the wooden dock, I felt my excitement grow the more we neared the ship. There was a small gate at the end of the dock, a sailor standing guard. He tensed a little when he saw us but then relaxed.

"Welcome to the S.S. Anne," he said politely. "Do you have tickets?"

Red and I showed him our tickets, which seemed to satisfy him.

"Great! Have fun on the S.S. Anne."

We walked past him and continued on until we finally boarded the ship. Onboard, there was a tired looking sailor, who sighed quite loudly.

"Just as a tip," he said when he saw us. "The passengers here are restless from the long voyage. You might be challenged by some of them."

At that, Red and I smirked. We just looked at each other and immediately knew what we had to do. Time to do some more training! We split up and went into the cabins, looking for these "bored" passengers. I battled only a few, and even checked out the kitchen. There was nothing to do there, but I did snag two plates of food from there. I went out and waited for Red to come out of one of the cabins. He came out of the fifth cabin, looking a little disappointed.

"Here," I said, handing him a plate with salmon. "We should eat something. Do you get seasick easy, Red?"

"No," he replied, eating a forkful of fish. "Do I have to worry about you?"

"As if," I replied back, cutting a piece of steak and eating it. We quickly ate our food and left our empty plates by one of the cabins. We walked down the hallway and saw a staircase that descended to a lower level. It would be worth checking in case there were more bored passengers there. We went down the stairs and saw a couple of cabins at the bottom. We split up again to challenge whoever was capable of battling with Pokémon. However, there were only Sailors there. Not that it mattered though since they gave us money and experience.

We left the bottom floor and went back to the first floor after defeating the Sailors. Back on the first floor, we noticed another set of stairs heading up. On the second floor, we went down a short hallway and saw more cabins as well as another staircase. For now, the cabins were drawing our attention since there was the possibility of more trainers to battle. We split up again and checked them out. I have to admit that being distracted by battling is kind of slowing us down to explore the ship. I don't really mind since it's like hitting two birds with one stone.

I walked out of the last cabin, a little disappointed that no one wanted to battle in there. I saw Red waiting by the staircase. I walked over to him, already getting a feeling that we'll be heading up that staircase soon. When I approached him, he went up the stairs, leaving me to follow him. At the top, there was a long hallway with only one Sailor there. He was sitting on the floor, playing some kind of card game. He only looked up at us for a second before focusing on his game. We walked past him and went out onto the deck of the ship. There seemed to be a small handful of people there, making us wonder if any of them would like to battle. Damn, we sound very battle-obsessed. But for the experience and money, I'm sure almost anyone can be battle-obsessed.

We checked around to see if anyone wanted to battle, but only two Sailors wanted to battle. I walked over to the bow of the ship, looking over the rail and down at the sea below.

"Wow, the water looks so blue," I said, looking down. "Too bad we can't stay on board and see the rest of the world."

"For now, we can't," said Red, appearing behind me. "Though, maybe one day, we can see the world."

"That would be awesome! You promise that we'll go see other regions?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug. I was uncertain if he'll keep that promise, but it made me excited anyway. I heard there were other regions besides Kanto somewhere beyond the ocean. It'd be nice to see them and find any Pokémon there. We left the bow, and went back to the hallway we were before. We didn't see what was at the end of this hallway so it was obvious we didn't check out the whole ship. However, as we neared the staircase at the end, we heard the sound of footsteps coming down them. And those footsteps came from none other than Douche.

"Bonjour, Leaf, Red," greeted Blue, having that smug look on his face. "I never thought I'd see you guys here! Were you really invited?"

"Not exactly but we do have tickets," I replied, showing him my ticket. "Bill gave us the tickets because he didn't want to be here."

"Really," he said in a sarcastic tone. "So how's your Pokédex coming?"

"Um, well," I started but was unable to answer. I didn't want to say that I had less than 30 Pokémon. I think he figured it out since he smirked at me.

"And you, Red," he asked, still smirking. Red remained silent, probably unsure whether to answer or not.

"I already caught 40 kinds, pal," he said to Red. "Different kinds are everywhere. Crawl around in grassy areas and look hard for them."

He suddenly took out a pokéball, causing Red to grab one as well from his belt. Blue tossed his pokéball, sending out his Pidgeotto. Red sent out Pikachu, who looked more than ready to battle. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, which easily defeated Pidgeotto. Both I and Blue were rather surprised by that. Red must have been training Pikachu a lot to know that move. My Pikachu, Static, just recently learned Thunderbolt. When did Red's learn it? Blue called back his faint Pidgeotto and sent out Raticate. Red had Pikachu use another Thunderbolt, which made Raticate faint.

"Jeez, Red," I yelled over the battle. "What kind of training did you make Pikachu do?"

Red ignored me, returning Pikachu back to his pokéball and sending out Gyarados. Gyarados was certainly an intimidating opponent with his large size and scary-looking face. Red must have trained a lot to evolve the Magikarp it once was. Blue then sent out Kadabra, which was most likely the evolved form of that Abra I fought in Cerulean. Gyarados started the battle with Bite, which greatly weakened Kadabra. Kadabra retaliated with Confusion, which did some damage Gyarados. However, Gyarados defeated Kadabra with another Bite. As Blue returned Kadabra to his pokéball, I knew that he had only one Pokémon left. Red called back Gyarados, and both boys sent out their respective starter Pokémon.

Blue no longer had Squirtle but Wartortle instead. However, knowing that it's a Water-type going against a Grass-type, it was rather obvious that Wartortle won't win this battle with Ivysaur. Ivysaur attacked with Razor Leaf, greatly weakening Wartortle. Wartortle used Withdraw to strengthen its defense, but was no match against another Razor Leaf.

"At least you're raising your Pokémon," said Blue, calling back Wartortle as Red did the same for Ivysaur. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, giving Red some reward money. But it looked like it wouldn't do much for Blue since his wallet was pretty much full of money. I guess Blue really likes battling too.

"I heard there was a Cut master on board," began Blue, putting away his wallet. "But he was just a seasick old man. That was rather disappointing. Cut itself if really useful. You two should go see him, too. Smell ya!"

He walked past us, probably heading off to the next city or something. Red and I went up the staircase to a small room. There was a desk nearby, a map on a wall, a bookcase, and an old guy barfing into a trash can. The rancid smell of puke in the room was making me feel sick. Red walked up to him while I kept my distance from him.

"Ugh, I feel hideous," said the man, gagging a little. "Seasick."

Red, reluctantly, rubbed the guy's back. The guy stiffened a little but then relaxed. He turned around, looking quite healthy all of a sudden. He wore a uniform, which I think means he's the captain of the ship.

"Whew! Thank you," he said. "I'm feeling much better now."

"It's nothing," said Red, who looked kind of awkward.

"Did you two come here to see my hidden Cut technique," asked the Captain. "Well, I would show you if I weren't so sick… So, I'll give you this instead! It's a hidden machine! You can use it to teach Cut to your Pokémon and you'll be able to use it anytime!"

He walked to his desk and opened a drawer, taking out two cd cases. These ones looked a little thicker than regular TMs. Red and I accepted his offer and put away the HMs in our cases.

"With Cut, you can chop down small trees," he explained. "Why not try it with the trees around Vermilion City?"

The Captain looked down at the watch on his left hand and looked surprised.

"Now that I'm not sick anymore, I guess it's time. The S.S. Anne will set sail soon! Farewell, until our return to Vermilion City."

We nodded, and left the Captain's room. There was nothing left for us on this ship so we made our way to the dock. As soon as we got off the ship, the S.S. Anne's horn blew loudly, a signal that it was now leaving. Red and I watched as it began to sail away, slowly picking up speed as it did so. We then left the dock and went back to the harbor.

"Well, I guess that's that," I said, bringing my hands up behind my neck and resting my head against them. "By the way, you have a scary team, Red."

"I was just training them," said Red, giving me an annoyed look.

"Yeah, but it's scary how much you train them."

"Anyway, it seems like we can finally challenge Lt. Surge."

"Oh, yeah! With Cut, that freaking tree won't be standing in our way anymore. But, after all that battling, I think we should heal our Pokémon first."

"Of course," said Red in a matter-of-fact tone.

Lt. Surge, you better be ready to hand over that badge because Terra and I will be winning it from you.

* * *

**_A/N: Hello, my readers! I thank you all for reviewing this story! Okay, I know I thank you guys too much, but it's in my nature to be polite. That and I really do appreciate you guys taking the time to review. Anyway, there isn't much I can comment about this chapter except that there was a lot of battling. It took me a while to get through all those trainers... It was so worth it. The battle for the third gym badge is coming up next. There's also everyone's favorite place coming up in a future chapter, Lavender Town! I can't wait for that!_**


	10. Bike Lessons

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

I stared at the HM, and then at my Diglett, Terra. Red and I were just outside the gym, having already healed our Pokémon. That damn thorny tree was the only thing separating us from earning our third badge. All we had to do was teach one of our Pokémon Cut so that we can get by. Terra was capable of learning the move while Red was thinking of having Ivysaur learn it.

"Um, Red," I began, holding up the HM. "How do I use this?"

"Honestly, I'm not so sure myself," he replied, taking out his own HM from his backpack.

"Maybe they're supposed to eat it?"

"That's idiotic. It's dangerous to feed a human a cd, much less a Pokémon."

"I was only trying to figure this out."

I stared at Terra again, who was very small compared to me. I squatted down so that I could see her more clearly. Terra only looked at me with curiosity, probably wondering what I'm going to do with the HM in my hand. I looked at the HM again, thinking of any possible way I can use this to teach Cut to Terra. I figured I should just give it to her and see what she does with it. I put the HM on Terra's head, who looked quite annoyed that I did that. Suddenly, her eyes lit up like she saw the most wondrous thing ever. She dug into the ground and appeared next to the tree. Next thing I knew, the tree was cut clean in half.

"Wow! So that's how you use it," I said in awe as Terra dug back to me. I looked at Red, who was putting the HM on Ivysaur's head. As Ivysaur began to learn the new move, I took off the HM from Terra's head and safely put it away in its case.

"Time to go face Lt. Surge," I said, returning Terra back to her pokéball. "Let's go, Red!"

"Actually, you go on ahead," he said, putting away his HM after Ivysaur used it. "I have to do a little more training before challenging Lt. Surge."

"Okay, suit yourself," I said with a shrug. I walked over the stump where the tree had been and walked through the doors of the gym. Inside, there was a bunch of trash cans there. Jeez, either they have a hard time keeping a place clean or are huge fans of trash cans. There were also three trainers, which was only one more than Misty's gym. Well, whatever. These guys will be going down soon enough. First guy I challenged was a Sailor. It was a little disheartening to see he had a Pikachu, which reminded me of Static. Nevertheless, I sent out Terra to battle him. It turned out that the guy had two Pikachu, but Terra defeated them easily.

We moved on to the next trainer, an engineer who probably worked at the gym. I noticed that there were lasers close by. At least, I think they're lasers. After battling the engineer, who I quickly defeated with Terra's Magnitude, he gave me a useful tip.

"The switches to that door are hidden inside something," he said as he paid me my prize money.

Inside something? But there are only trash cans here. Unless… Oh, gross! Do I have to dig through the trash to find the switches? I wish Red were here so that I can make him do that for me. I then challenged the last gym trainer, who was an older Gentleman.

"When I was in the army, Lt. Surge was my CO," he said, sending out a Pikachu to battle. "He's quite the taskmaster."

I sent out Terra, who was attacked by Pikachu's Quick Attack. Terra countered with Magnitude, which ended the battle.

"You know, it won't be easy opening that door," said the Gentleman, returning Pikachu. "Lt. Surge was famous for his cautious nature in the Army."

I looked away from him and at the rows of trash cans. This is going to flat-out suck. I went up to one can and looked in, moving some trash out of the way to see if there was something at the bottom. There was nothing but trash. I repeated what I did for the next eleven trash cans I checked. It was really disgusting because, in one of them, I felt something slimy. Where's hand sanitizer when you need it? On the twelfth trash can, I actually found a switch under the trash. I flipped it on and checked the trash can to the right of it, finding the second one. I'm glad this sick business is done and over with.

I headed straight for Lt. Surge, who was standing upright on this slightly raised platform. He was wearing a green cameo uniform with black combat boots and fingerless gloves. And his hair was spiky blond. He gave me a confused look when I approached him.

"Hey, kid," he began, looking sternly at me. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm here to challenge you, of course," I replied, taking out Terra's pokéball.

"With your puny power, you won't live long in combat! I tell you, kid, electric Pokémon saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! And that's the same I'll do to you!"

He tossed out a pokéball that released a Voltorb while I sent out Terra. I started the battle with Magnitude, which made Voltorb faint in one hit. Lt. Surge called back Voltorb and sent out Pikachu. I had Terra use another Magnitude, also making Pikachu faint. Okay, so far so good. Lt. Surge smirked as he sent out Raichu, an obvious evolution of Pikachu. I took in a deep breath and ordered Terra to use Dig, but not before being attacked by Quick Attack. Terra then used Dig to attack Raichu, who fainted from the attack.

"Now that's a shocker," commented Lt. Surge as he returned Raichu to its pokéball. "You're the real deal, kid! Fine, then, take the Thunder Badge!"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a yellow flower-like badge that had a red center. He gave me the badge, which I accepted eagerly and put away in my case with the other two badges.

"The Thunder Badge cranks up your Pokémon's speed! It also lets your Pokémon Fly lightning-quick anytime, kid!"

"Uh, can you stop calling me 'kid'?"

He laughed and said, "You're special, kid! Take this!"

He grabbed an old backpack nearby and opened it, rummaging through the stuff in there. He pulled out a cd case, undoubtedly another TM. He handed me the TM, and I quickly put it away in my bag.

"That TM contains Shock Wave! Teach it to electric Pokémon!"

I waved goodbye to him as I walked out of the gym. Once outside, I jumped happily that I won another badge. I stopped and looked around to see if Red was going to challenge him soon. I didn't see him so I decided to wait for him at the Pokémon Center. I walked through the streets, but I saw a familiar person standing by the road that leads out of Vermilion City. I walked up to him to see if I can identify him. He smiled broadly when he saw me.

"Oh, hello, Leaf! How are you doing," he asked casually.

"I'm doing well. I just won another badge," I replied excitedly, even though I'm not quite sure who this guy was. "So, how do you know my name?"

"It's me, one of Professor Oak's aides. Did you meet the other aide?

"I met one on Route 11, but I need to catch 30 Pokémon first."

"He had a package from Professor Oak for you, Leaf. He said he'd look for you around Route 2. If you're in the Route 2 area, please look for him."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said, heading to the Pokémon Center. I healed up my Pokémon and waited for Red. It got kind of boring so I looked around for something else to do. There was a set of books and magazines on a bookcase and thought that would help pass the time. I grabbed a random magazine and sat down on a chair, looking at the cover. It was called "Pokémon Journal" with a special feature on Lt. Surge. I opened up the magazine to the page about the cover and started reading. Hm, there's a rumor that he's a pilot, and he used electricity from Pokémon to power his plane. I felt a tap on my shoulder, which startled me and made me drop the magazine. I turned around in my seat to see Red standing behind me.

"Idiot," I said with an annoyed tone. "You don't have to sneak up on me like that!"

"Should we get going," he asked, ignoring my comment.

"You got the Thunder Badge already?"

"Yes, but it was a little difficult. I managed to beat Lt. Surge with Ivysaur."

"Okay! Now let's head on to Route 2!"

"Route 2?"

"Yeah, there's a guy waiting there to give us a special package or something."

"How do you know this?"

"One of those scientist guys from Oak's lab told me so a while ago."

He nodded and began to walk away. I quickly got up from my seat and followed him out the Pokémon Center. We walked through Vermilion, heading to Route 11. When we arrived at Route 11, we stopped in front of Diglett's Cave. The cave went straight to Viridian, or that's what we've heard, and was the fastest way to get there. We walked in the cave and went down the ladder that was there. As we walked through the long tunnel, a couple Diglett would appear. Some of them had an annoying ability that made it virtually impossible to escape from them. Red would use Gyarados to make them faint and move on while I used Breeze.

It's pretty much the Diglett's fault that they had an ability that didn't allow escape. Otherwise, Red and I would have just moved on instead of being forced to make them faint. It took us a good twenty minutes to make it to the end of the tunnel thanks to Diglett. We climbed up the ladder to the top floor and left the cave as soon as we can. Outside, there was a familiar sight.

"Hey, Pewter City is right over there," I said, pointing to the road heading north. "I thought the cave was supposed to lead us to Viridian City."

"This is close enough," said Red, looking down the path we were on. There was another one of those thorny trees blocking the path. Why are these freaking trees everywhere? We walked up to it, and I had Terra Cut it down. Up ahead, there was a gate. Maybe that's where the aide is. We quickly made our way to the gate because, well, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can move on with our journey. Inside the gate, there were two tables, a lot of plants, and a huge blue rug on the floor over golden-brown tile. And the guy that we needed to talk to was easy to find.

"We finally found you," I said as we walked up to him.

"Oh, hi! Remember me? I'm one of Professor Oak's aides."

"Yeah, we know. Some other guy told me about you earlier."

"Do your Pokédexes have complete data on ten species?"

"Yep, we definitely have at least ten," I replied, showing him my Pokédex while Red did the same.

"That's great," he said, checking our Pokédexes to be sure. "Here, have this for your hard work!"

He reached into his lab coat pocket and gave us HMs, which we put away in our bags.

"That HM contains the hidden move Flash. Flash lights up even the darkest of caves and dungeons," explained the aide.

"Okay, thanks," I said as Red and I quickly walked out of the gate. All that time getting here just to get an HM that aide could have so easily delivered. I guess we're going to have to run our way through Diglett's Cave to get back on track. That was pretty much what we did when we went back into the cave. Of course, Diglett would show up and slow us down. We eventually made it back to Vermilion City, ready to move on to the next town.

"Hey, Red," I began as we looked at my Town Map while in the middle of a street. "Where's the gym for the fourth badge at?"

"I believe it's in Celadon City," he replied without looking at me.

"So, if Saffron is closed off, there might be an underground path east of Lavender Town. With that sleeping Pokémon blocking the road, we have to go back to Cerulean and take the Rock Tunnel to get to Lavender Town."

I heard Red chuckle a little, causing me to look at him.

"What's so funny," I asked, closing up the map.

"What you just said… It was actually smart."

"Hey! Are you saying that everything I said before was stupid?"

He didn't reply, but only walked away, heading to Route 6. That either means that everything I said was stupid to him, or he doesn't want to answer me. Knowing him, it's probably the latter because he's a wise one. We walked through Route 6 and moved on to the Underground Path. I couldn't help but sigh as we made our way down the long underground hall. It was always quiet whenever I'm around this guy. I would talk to him, but he hardly ever contributed much to the conversation. Sure, he's talking a little more than he used to, but I guess some habits die hard.

"Is something wrong?"

I jumped when I heard his voice. How he said that out of nowhere startled me.

"Huh? What," I stammered, still surprised.

"You sighed earlier. Is there something wrong," he asked again.

"No, I'm fine. Really! I only sighed in relief because we're going to get some bikes in Cerulean!"

"That's right… I nearly forgot about the free bike coupons."

"Yep! Those bikes will make traveling around a whole lot easier. I can't wait to rub my coupon in the face of that smug bastard of a clerk."

He actually chuckled a little at what I said. We made it to the end of the underground path and made our way outside. Cerulean City was already in our sights as we walked up Route 5. We found a shortcut to the city by cutting down another one of those annoying trees. We went straight to the bike shop to get ourselves new bikes. Inside, I walked up to the clerk, who only raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, do you remember me," I asked him, feeling around in my bag to get my Bike Voucher. He stared at me for a moment until a smirk appeared on his face.

"Ah, you're that girl from the other day. What is it? Do you actually have enough money to buy a bike?"

"Even better," I replied, showing him my coupon. "I have this!"

His face suddenly fell into a frown when he examined the coupon in my hand.

"Oh, that's… A bike voucher," he said with discontent. "Fine. Go and pick any bike you want."

He took the Bike Voucher from me, and I smirked at him while I walked to the bikes. Red went to the clerk and offered his Bike Voucher as well. The clerk muttered a "What? You too?" under his breath, taking the coupon from Red.

"I call this blue one," I said, moving it out of the shop. Red grabbed a red one, following me out with his.

"All right! I finally have a bike," I said, sitting on the seat. "This is so awesome!"

I only went about a foot before falling to the side.

"Are you all right," asked Red, riding up on his bike next to me.

"Um, not really because that hurt a lot," I said, getting up and picking up my bike. "Wait, you know how to ride a bike?"

"Yes, it isn't that hard. You don't know how?"

"Does it look like I know?"

He looked to the side, like he was thinking of something, and then looked back at me.

"Here, I'll teach you," he said, getting off his bike and folding it up. He put it away in his backpack and grabbed my bike.

"First, get on the bike," he ordered. I sat down again on the seat, keeping one foot on the ground and the other on the pedal.

"Now, I'm going to push you slowly, but I won't let you fall. Try to find your balance while I do that," explained Red, moving my bike slowly. I did my best to keep myself balanced on the bike, trying not to lean too much on the either side. Red picked up a little speed, and I struggled to balance on the bike. He suddenly let go of my bike, leaving me on my own to ride my bicycle. However, I ended up screaming because I didn't know how to stop. What's worse is that I saw fence not too far away. If I don't figure out how to brake, I'm going to crash into that.

"How do I stop," I yelled, my panic making me lose balance. I regained it, but that didn't solve my braking predicament.

"Pedal in reverse," Red called out to me. It took me a while to remember where the pedals were at since panic makes you temporarily forget things. I did as he said and pedaled in reverse. However, since it's a bike, the pedals got stuck, causing the tires to stop moving. This made the bike lose its speed, but it wasn't enough. The front wheel ended up hitting the fence, and I flew over my bike, landing in a bush on the other side. I could hear Red running up to the fence and jumping over it.

"Are you hurt," he asked me, grabbing my hand and helping me out of the bush.

"Whoa! Did you see that? I flew over that fence," I said excitedly when I was back on my feet.

"You have scratches on your arm."

"Oh, hey, I do," I said, looking at my arms. "Probably from the bush. But, no pain, no gain! C'mon, let's go try again!"

I jumped over the fence and got back on the bike, this time going on before Red can hold on to my bike. I only traveled a few feet before falling off again. Red helped me up and did his best to teach me how to ride a bike. I can't tell you how many times I fell off my bike… Okay, it was probably around seventy times. By sunset, I had all these scrapes and bruises on my arms and legs. Yet Red kept trying to teach me how to ride my bicycle. He taught me everything from balancing and braking to steering and managing speed. His hard work did pay off in the end, though. I did learn how to ride that bicycle, but at some time past sunset. The streetlights were already on when I successfully rode my bike down a street without falling off or crashing. I used brakes like I was supposed to when I reached the end, and turned around, riding back to Red who was watching me intently.

"I did it, Red," I said happily. "I finally rode my bike without falling!"

"Yes, you did," he said, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Good thing, too, because I don't think I could handle another scrape or bruise," I laughed nervously, looking at my arms and legs.

"We should go to the Pokémon Center and rest up for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," I said, getting off my bike and folding it up. "And I'm hungry, too."

I put away my bike in my bag, and we walked back to the Pokémon Center. It wasn't that far so we could walk it. Besides, I'm a little tired of riding my bike. We went inside the Pokémon Center and had the nurse bandage me up, but not before she disinfected me with peroxide. Damn, that stuff really burned! However, I'd rather experience a moment of pain than to suffer from an infection later. Once I was all bandaged up, Red had got us some instant ramen for dinner. I didn't really care since I was too hungry to even give a crap. As I slurped up the noodles, I noticed Red staring at me.

"What," I asked him, swallowing the noodles in my mouth.

"Nothing," he replied, stirring the noodles in his bowl with his chopsticks.

"Then why were you staring? That's freaking creepy, you know."

"It's like old times, isn't it?"

That caught me off-guard. What old times was he talking about? The times before Blue became a total douche or the times when we hung out together after Blue became a douche? Either way, I didn't really like thinking of those times.

"Really? Like old times," I asked, eating more noodles.

"Yes, when you used to come over my house to play the NES with me."

"You remember that?"

"Of course," he replied, staring intently at me. "Why did you stop coming over?"

"Honestly, I don't remember. It's like you, Blue, and I all went our separate ways or something."

Red nodded lightly, and we ate the rest of our dinner in silence. When we were done, we went to our rooms to rest up for our trip to the Rock Tunnel. I dropped my bag next to my bed, grabbed the pillow, and punched it. I had to lie to Red because the truth was something that would only hurt him and infuriate me. Ugh, just thinking about it is pissing me off. In fact, it's actually making me despise the fact that Red is with me on this journey. Maybe a good night's sleep will help me get my mind off this.

* * *

**_A/N: (sarcasm) What? Actual emotion in my story? It can't be! I should seriously be bricked for doing such a thing. This was meant to be light and funny, but God knows that I can't write a story without backstories for my characters. (sarcasm) It would be blasphemous for Moonlight Wolf91 to write anything without character development. I ended up thinking too much about Leaf's history, then Red's, and even Blue's. I really suck at writing comedies. The ending of this chapter actually makes me want to facepalm myself repeatedly, but I couldn't think of anything else for it. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews, my readers. And I'll leave it up to you if this chapter was a gift or fail by me._**


	11. From Darkness to Lavender

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

I stared at the map as we walked down the road. Red and I had arrived at Route 9, trying to make our way to the Rock Tunnel. From what I see on the map, it'll be at the end when Route 9 becomes Route 10. The route was different from the other routes we've been through. This one was rocky and had a lot of ledges around. There's also the fact that there will be trainers around here somewhere. We decided to split up again and meet each other at the end of the route. It seemed like there were only Campers and Hikers around. As I battled my way through the route, I remembered that I forgot to thank Red for teaching me how to ride a bike. I eventually reached the end of the route, Red already waiting for me.

"I forgot to say this yesterday, but thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "Thanks for teaching me how to ride a bike."

"You're welcome," he said, walking away. There was a Pokémon Center nearby, which I thought was pretty convenient. We walked inside the Pokémon Center to heal up our Pokémon before going on to the Rock Tunnel. However, when we walked in, we got a bit of a surprise.

"Red! Leaf! I've been looking for you two," said an enthusiastic scientist, who ran up to us. "I'm one of the ever-present aides to Professor Oak."

"Another one," I asked with a sigh. Are these guys scattered across Kanto or something?

"If your Pokédexes have complete data on at least twenty species, I'm supposed to give you a reward from Professor Oak."

Red and I dug through our bags and pulled out our Pokédexes, showing them to the aide. He looked at them quickly before grinning.

"Great," he almost yelled. "Congratulations! Here you go!"

He reached into his lab coat and pulled out these strange gray rocks and handed them to us.

"Those are Everstones. Making Pokémon evolve certainly can add to the Pokédex," he explained. "However, at times, you may not want a certain Pokémon to evolve. Give the Everstone to that Pokémon, and it will prevent evolution according to the professor."

"Um, thanks," I said, putting away the Everstone while Red did the same. We walked past the aide and gave our Pokémon to the nurse for her to heal them. Once that was done, we quickly left the Pokémon Center. We just had to go through the Rock Tunnel, and then we'll be closer to earning our fourth badge. I had Terra Cut down another one of those damn thorny trees so that we could get to the Rock Tunnel faster. We went inside, only to be surrounded by total darkness.

"Red, I can't see anything," I said, trying to see through the dark.

"I never would have guessed," he commented, slight sarcasm in his tone. "We should probably head back outside. It's not safe to wander around in the dark."

"Good idea."

We went back outside into the sunlight, our eyes hurting a little from the sudden brightness.

"Oh, hey," I said, realizing something. "That HM Flash would be good for this cave."

"Really? I thought we had to find another HM for that," said Red sarcastically.

"Shut up, Red," I said, looking through my bag for that HM. I took it out and called out Static from his pokéball. Static looked up happily at me, tilting his head to the side. I put the HM on his head, and he seemed pretty ticked off that I did that. I was already preparing myself for an electrocution, but Static's eyes lit up just like Terra's when I first taught her Cut. Red did the same for his Pikachu, but he looked a little reluctant to do so. That was kind of weird. When that was done, we went back into the Rock Tunnel. Once inside the pitch-black cave, we had our Pikachu use Flash to light it up.

This cave was very different from Mt. Moon, but still a cave, nonetheless. We walked through the cave, and saw a Pokémaniac nearby, who saw us and ran up to challenge me. I had Breeze battle against his Cubone, which was a weird Pokémon because it carried a bone and had a skull over its head. Breeze easily defeated it with Wing Attack. Next, the guy sent out a Slowpoke, which I switched Breeze for Static. Static ended the battle with a Thunderbolt. As the guy paid me my prize money, Red looked around for a possible way out. However, it just looked like a long path that we had to follow.

Well, at least it's simpler than Mt. Moon. We followed the path to the end, a ladder descending to a lower floor waiting for us. We climbed down the ladder to the bottom floor, which had a lot of rocks around. I think a really strong Pokémon can smash those things into little pieces. That would actually be pretty cool to see. Red and I found another path, the only path, out of this large room. We noticed another one of those Pokémaniacs, who challenged Red to a battle. All the guy had was a Slowpoke, which stood no chance against Red's Pikachu. We moved on through the cave, only to be stopped by a Picnicker. Ugh, can't we just get through this freaking cave without people constantly challenging us?

Then again, I really shouldn't complain since we are getting experience and money out of it. So, in a way, other trainers aren't much of a pain. No, what was really a pain were the damn Zubat that constantly appeared. Red and I were pretty much just running away every time one flew at us. We eventually reached the end, after beating a pair of Hikers, and climbed up the ladder that was there. Yet another Hiker was there, whose team of Geodude and Machop were easily defeated by Terra and Breeze. Once that was done and over with, we continued on through the cave.

"Red, I'm really starting to hate caves," I said as we walked.

He didn't say anything back to me but kept walking. We eventually found another ladder, after defeating two other Hikers, and quickly climbed up the damn thing. The next floor looked a little winded. Red and I split up; I took the southern path while he took the northern. I fought another Picnicker and explored more of the cave. I eventually found this kid all by himself in a certain part of the cave.

"Hey, kid," I said, walking up to him. "Are you lost?"

"You know," he began, ignoring my question. "When you're up on a rocky mountain like this, rockslides are a threat. Can you imagine boulders tumbling down on you?"

"I'd rather not think of something like that."

"It'd be crazy! Total terror! You don't seem to be scared. Want to know how to use Rock Slide?"

"Hm, well, all right. I don't see much harm in it," I replied with a shrug.

"Okay! Which Pokémon should I teach Rock Slide?"

I thought it over. Which of my Pokémon would benefit from learning a Rock-type move? Since Terra is a Ground-type, it would be good for her to learn Rock Slide so that she can battle against Flying-types.

"All right, I want Terra to learn the move," I said, releasing Terra from her pokéball. The kid took out a TM and put it on her head. She was probably already used to it. Her eyes lit up like they did before, and the TM broke in half.

"There! But it might be scary to use that move in this tunnel," he said uneasily.

I returned Terra to her pokéball and moved on. Was that kid just waiting there to use up his TM on a stranger's Pokémon? That's bordering on crazy. I found Red in one of the northern pathways, standing beside another ladder. Guess he found it way before I did. We went down the ladder to another part of the tunnel. Since I was the first one to get down, I walked a little ahead to see what was here. I saw another Picnicker nearby, and I thought it'd be a good idea to battle her. I walked up to her to challenge her, but I received a different reaction instead.

"Eek! Don't try anything funny in the dark," she yelled, taking out a pokéball.

"Um, you do realize I'm a girl, right," I asked in disbelief. Really, she's making it sound like I was going to molest her or something, which is something I wouldn't do to a girl of all people.

"I won't discriminate," she yelled again, tossing her pokéball.

She released a Bellsprout, who was quickly defeated thanks to Flare. Her Clefairy was a little tougher since it used Sing to put Flare to sleep. Flare pulled through and made the Clefairy faint with Scratch. That'll teach her to make false accusations about people. Red had already joined up with me and we moved on from there, fighting another Picnicker who was nearby. After defeating yet another Picnicker—Seriously? Why are they even in a cave if they're Picnickers?—and found daylight shining through the entrance of the cave.

"Yes! Finally," I yelled, running straight to the light. Outside, the sunlight hurt my eyes, probably from being in the dark for too long, and a calm breeze blew by. However, more Hikers and Picnickers were outside as well. Ugh, damn it! Red and I split up to battle them. After about ten minutes of battling, we met up again at the end of Route 10.

"Okay, now we can go to Lavender Town," I said, looking south to where the town was. "It's about time because my Pokémon need to be healed after all that battling."

We walked to the town, a tall tower the most prominent building there. There was something about that tower that didn't seem right to me. I can't put my finger on it. Well, whatever it is, I'll find out soon enough. We walked into the town, which, for some strange reason, gave me chills, and went straight for the Pokémon Center. While we waited for our Pokémon to heal, I noticed two kids and an older man sitting on a table. I guess they're a grandfather and grandkids out to spend time together.

"Did you know Cubone wear skulls? People pay a lot for one," said the grandson.

"Aw, that reminds me of something," said the granddaughter, looking a little sad. "I saw Cubone's mother trying to escape from Team Rocket. She was killed trying to get away."

"They're despicable," commented the grandfather. "Team Rocket will do anything for money! There's no job too dirty, no deed too heinous, no crime too wicked for them!"

From the sound of it, Team Rocket was, or is, here in the town. But where exactly? I stared at the grandfather and grandchildren, reminding me of something that kind of surprised me. They reminded me of Blue, Daisy, and Professor Oak. Both grandsons acting matter-of-fact about Pokémon, both granddaughters sympathetic and kind, and both grandfathers knowledgeable and sensible… I couldn't help but reminisce of the days when Daisy would invite me and Red over for dinner. Blue and I would compete over our knowledge of Pokémon, which seemed to impress the professor, while Red and Daisy would just eat their dinner and listen attentively.

"Your Pokémon are healed," said the nurse, bringing back from my daydream. "We hope to see you again!"

I ignored that horrible statement as I clipped my pokéballs to my belt. Red did the same, and we walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"We should split up and check out the town. That will help us find out more information about Team Rocket," said Red, walking away from me.

I was about to call out to him so that I wouldn't be on my own. I mean, I'm getting a bad feeling being in this town. But, I didn't want to look like a sissy or anything. I explored the small town, knocking on people's houses to get some information. All they did was told me stuff I already knew. I eventually found this building called the "Volunteer House" so I went to check it out. Red was already there.

"Hey, Red, what's going on here," I asked, looking at the little kids and Pokémon.

"This volunteer house is also the home of a man named Mr. Fuji," replied Red, watching the children as well. "These kids told me that when they came here, he wasn't home. They've been watching over the abandoned and orphaned Pokémon here."

"Maybe he had some errands to do. Anyway, let's go check out that tower! I think there might be some interesting stuff there!"

"Really? Do you know what that tower is?"

"Um, no," I said, tilting my head to the side a little.

"That's Pokémon Tower. It's a gravesite for Pokémon."

My eyes widened at the word "gravesite," and I could feel goose bumps on my arms and legs.

"Gravesite? Like for dead Pokémon," I said nervously, hoping that Red was lying.

"That's right," said Red, looking at me. "Back when we were kids, I remember you always changing the channel on TV whenever something about graveyards or ghosts would come on, including documentaries about Lavender Town. That would explain why you don't know much about this town."

I'm not too surprised that he remembered that. I looked away, already knowing that it was going to be a long day for me if I go to that tower.

"Are you scared," asked Red, still staring at me. I quickly looked back at him, a glare on my face.

"No, I'm not," I said, keeping my voice strong. "That was back when I was a kid. I'm over it! Now let's go and check out that tower!"

We left the Volunteer House and went to Pokémon Tower, its looming shadow making me feel intimidated. A little girl stood out front, staring up at it. She heard our footsteps and slowly turned her head to look at us.

"Do you believe in ghosts," she asked casually, which I found uncomfortable.

"No, I don't," I replied, quickly walking by her.

"I guess not," she said with a laugh. "I'm probably just imagining that white hand on your shoulder."

Had Red not been here, I would have screamed at the top of my lungs. Instead, a chill ran down my spine, and I felt my hair standing on end. We entered Pokémon Tower to see a couple of people there, praying for their departed Pokémon. My heart began to beat fast as Red and I walked over to a staircase, a priestess standing nearby.

"Be careful," she said when we were taking our first step on the stairs. "There are spirits up to mischief. I sense them high in the tower."

Just hearing that made me instinctively grab Red's arm, which surprised him. It only took me a second to realize what I did, causing me to quickly pull away from him.

"Maybe you should stay here," said Red, looking up at the floor above. "I'll go on ahead and check what's up there. I'll come back if I find anything."

I was too scared to even say anything to that, but it sounded like music to my ears. I'd much rather have Red leave me behind if it meant getting out of this graveyard. He went up the stairs, and I stayed at the bottom floor. I was able to relax a little since I'm not really around Pokémon graves.

"Young lady, what are you doing here on your own," asked a voice that made me jump. It was an older woman wearing a red dress with her hair done up in a bun.

"My friend and I were exploring this tower," I replied, doing my best to ignore the fact that I'm in a tower that holds dead Pokémon. "He went on ahead of me."

"Oh, dear," she said, looking a little worried. "There are ghosts roaming about in this tower. I heard you can't see them unless you have a Silph Scope."

"Ghosts," I asked, my voice trembling a little. "It's not a big deal if Pokémon are with you, right?"

"From what I've heard, Pokémon become too afraid to fight. However, I'm sure your friend will be just fine with a Silph Scope."

The lady walked away, heading to the entrance of the tower. Shit… I know damn well that Red doesn't have a Silph Scope. If I remember correctly, the Silph Company is in Saffron City. Agh, this freaking sucks. Saffron is closed off as far as we know. How the hell can we get a Silph Scope if the place that sells them is closed off? In any case, I need to let Red know right away before he gets too far away. But, that would mean going up there and possibly coming across a ghost. Well, I'm sure Red will come down here soon. Although, I don't think I'll be able to face his mom if something happened to him that I could have prevented.

All right, I'll go and get him, but I'm not going to like it. I gulped as I began to walk back to the staircase. My legs felt really heavy as I went up the stairs to get to the second floor. Oh, dear God, this is fucking scary. When I arrived at the second floor, all I saw were nothing but tombstones. I could feel my legs begin to buckle under my weight. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was about to rip out of my ribcage. I reached for a pokéball—any pokéball—and released whatever Pokémon inside. Static appeared, looking up at me with worry.

"Just stay by me, okay," I said in a shaky voice as I walked down a path lined up with tombstones. I felt Static jump up at me from behind, clinging to my shirt and right shoulder. The path I went down was only a dead end. The feeling of panic began to sink in, but I did my best to keep myself in control. I turned back, already desperately searching for the next possible path that can take me to Red. However, my fear was getting the best of me, and I sat down next to a tombstone. Static jumped off my back and walked around to look at me again. He jumped up into my arms, cuddling up to me to calm me down.

Static did help to distract me a bit, but I was too scared to move anymore. I was terrified, so terrified that I wanted to cry. I held back my tears, doing all I could to keep myself together. At least no ghosts had shown up. I don't know how I'd be able to handle that. I began to tremble, wondering if I could really go on and tell Red about the Silph Scope.

"Jeez, there doesn't seem to be anything here," said a voice from behind the tombstone. For a moment, it felt like my heart stopped because that could be a ghost for all I know. But, there was something oddly familiar about that voice. I carefully peeked over the tombstone, and saw Blue standing there looking a little disappointed.

"Blue," I yelled so loudly that it startled him. I jumped over the tombstone, Static running around to catch up with me, and ran up to him, hugging him. Why did I hug him? Well, I was too freaking happy to see that there was another living human around here. And it certainly helped to calm me down from my fears to see a familiar person.

"What the hell? Leaf," he asked, bewildered by my actions and presence. "What are you doing here?"

I quickly pulled away from him, Static standing near my feet.

"Uh, well, Red and I wanted to explore the tower," I replied, looking away sheepishly. "But, I stayed behind."

"Heh, you're still afraid of ghosts and all that? That's so childish," he said with an arrogant smirk. "Are you here because your Pokémon is dead?"

He looked down at Static, who didn't seem too pleased by his words. In fact, Static looked like he wanted to give Blue a good taste of Thunderbolt.

"Oh, hey, it's alive! I can at least make them faint! Let's go!"

He reached for his pokéball, but then stopped, looking back at me with distaste.

"Get that scared look off your face," he yelled at me, startling me a little. "You look like a damn little kid! Besides, it looks like I'm making you do something horrible."

He then grabbed a pokéball and tossed it, releasing a Pidgeotto. I had Static go out to fight the bird Pokémon. Pidgeotto attacked first with Quick Attack, hurting Static quite a bit. However, the contact with Static caused Pidgeotto to be paralyzed. Static retaliated with Thunderbolt, causing Pidgeotto to faint. Blue called back his Pidgeotto, as I did for Static, and sent out a Growlithe, a red-orange dog Pokémon. I sent out Terra, who started the battle with Magnitude. The move quickly took out Growlithe, causing Blue to look a little annoyed.

He withdrew Growlithe and sent out Wartortle, while I sent Static back out to battle. Static used another Thunderbolt, greatly weakening Wartortle. Wartortle countered with Water Gun, which seemed to hurt Static more than it should have. Static fainted so I withdrew him and sent out Breeze. I noticed Blue smirking a little when the attack hit. Guess he's happy to be able to make one of my Pokémon faint, something he couldn't do with his last battle against Red. I had Breeze use Wing Attack, finishing off Wartortle. As Blue returned Wartortle to his pokéball, I did the same for Breeze and sent out Flare.

Flare snarled, ready to battle any Pokémon to go against him. Blue sent out Exeggcute, a weird Pokémon that was pretty much a group of eggs. I had Flare use Ember, which greatly weakened Exeggcute. "Use Hypnosis," I heard Blue say. Shit, that's the move that makes Pokémon fall asleep. I prepared myself for Flare to fall asleep, but nothing happened. I guess the move missed. I ordered Flare to use another Ember, making Exeggcute faint. Blue returned Exeggcute back to his pokéball and sent out his last Pokémon, Kadabra. I kept Flare in the battle, confident that he could take on Kadabra.

I had Flare use Scratch, which caused damage to Kadabra. Kadabra tried to use Disable, but nothing really happened, probably another miss. I had Flare use Scratch again, promptly causing Kadabra to faint.

"What? You little—" Blue began but stopped himself, calling back Kadabra. "I took it easy on you, too."

He walked up to me, taking out his wallet as he did so, and paid me my prize money. Flare, who was standing nearby, was watching him intently.

"So, how's your Pokédex coming," asked Blue, putting away his wallet.

"Slow and steady," I replied, grateful that he's even talking to me. A conversation can help keep my mind off the fact that I'm in the middle of a graveyard.

"I just caught a Cubone, but I can't find the bigger Marowak. Where could they be?"

"Maybe there aren't any around here? If not, you could just have Cubone evolve."

"Yeah, you're right about that," he said, running a hand through his spiky golden-brown hair. "Well, I better get going. I've got a lot to accomplish, unlike you."

He gave me that condescending look of his and said, "Smell ya later!"

"Wait," I screamed, grabbing his hand. He looked at back at me, surprise in his eyes from my sudden outburst.

"Red's not back yet," I explained, looking down at the floor. "He needs a Silph Scope to let him see the ghosts. I have to tell him, but I'm too…"

I didn't want to finish that sentence. I hate this horrible situation I'm in. Here I am, in a haunted tower scared out of my wits, and the one person who's seeing this weakness is Blue. I should have gone with Red to the upper levels, not stay behind all by myself.

"Anyway," I continued, looking up at Blue. "Can you just stay with me until he gets back?"

"And why should I," said Blue, pulling his hand away from me.

I just looked back down. Really, I shouldn't have expected him to stick around with me. I was an idiot for even asking. I heard a low roar and looked at Flare, who was snarling and growling. The fire at the tip of his tail was large, and a bit of smoke flowing out of his nostrils.

"All right, fine," said Blue, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I'm only staying because I know that guy will probably hurt me in some way. You need to control your Pokémon more, Leaf."

I stood quiet, silently thanking Flare for persuading Blue. It was quiet for a while, neither Blue nor I saying anything. This was actually kind of surprising since Blue almost always has something to say. I decided to get a conversation started at least to help distract my mind.

"You need to get over this fear," said Blue, beating me to it. "It's really annoying."

"Sorry that I'm afraid of something," I said sarcastically.

"It's more the fact that I'm being held back by it. I have more important things to do, you know."

No matter how much I wanted to say a comeback that will knock his ego down a bit, I bit my tongue. I was not going to get pulled into this.

"Hey, Blue," I began, trying to change the subject. "What happened to your Raticate?"

"What," he asked, sounding like he was taken off-guard.

"What happened to your Raticate," I repeated. "During our battle, I noticed that you don't have it with you anymore."

"That's a simple question," he said, smirking. "That Raticate wasn't really living up to my expectations so I boxed him away. There are other Pokémon out there with greater potential."

"But, don't you like your Raticate?"

"What's the point in liking if it's just going to lose all the time? It's a waste for that Pokémon."

I was a little appalled by what he said. Some of my Pokémon have lost in battles, but I liked them nonetheless. Why couldn't he just train Raticate more? He makes it sound like it's a total waste of time to train Raticate, as opposed to training another Pokémon. I wasn't sure how much more I could tolerate being around Blue anymore. All he was doing was pissing me off. Granted that pissing me off was distracting me from my fear, but I don't, exactly, enjoy being mad. I heard footsteps, and I turned my head to see who was coming.

"Red," I yelled happily, running up to him. "Thank goodness you're finally here!"

"Leaf, weren't you supposed to wait on the first floor," he asked, looking a little confused. "And why is Blue with you?"

"Well, I went to go find you so I could tell you about the Silph Scope, which lets you see ghosts. But, I ran into Blue and we had a battle."

"Yeah, and the crybaby asked me to stay with her because she was too scared to be left alone," added Blue. "Next time, Red, if she doesn't want to go anywhere, get her to go or something. I don't want to be caught up in it and be held back."

I moved so that I was standing behind Red, and looked at Blue from the side.

"You could have left," I retorted to Blue. "But I guess you were more afraid of getting beat up by Flare."

"What? That Pokémon threatened me! And you did nothing about it!"

"Anyway," I said, turning around so my back was against Red's. "I'm glad you're finally here, Red. I don't think I could stand another minute with that guy."

"You asked me to stay with you," snapped Blue. "Tch, whatever! I'm leaving! Smell ya later!"

I could hear Blue walking away, and I let out an inaudible sigh. I leaned against Red's back, silently thanking Blue for sticking around with me.

* * *

**_A/N: Yes, Lavender Town! My favorite place! I just love hearing the freaky music there. But, this is only part one of Lavender Town. Our dynamic duo Red and Leaf need to get the Silph Scope to get to the top of Pokemon Tower. So, what's next for them? Celadon City! The one place underage kids can gamble. So, thanks to all who have reviewed. You're much appreciated, and it makes me feel appreciated too._**


	12. Take Me Down to Celadon City

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

"It's about time we left that place," I said, stepping out into the fresh air. After exploring what we could in Pokémon Tower, which wasn't a lot and I didn't do much exploring, Red and I were back outside. I had to go to the Pokémon Center since my battle with Blue had caused Static, my Pikachu, to faint. Red waited for me outside while I healed up my Pokémon. Once that was done, I rejoined him back outside.

"Okay, so what do we do now," I asked him, unsure of what was our next objective.

"There isn't much we can do here for now," replied Red, looking at the eastern road of Lavender Town. "For the time being, we should go to Celadon City and get our fourth badge."

"All right! We can finally leave this creepy place!"

I dug in my bag and took out my bicycle. I got on my bike, looking at Red curiously.

"Well? Get on your bike! It'd be a lot faster if we ride our bikes there," I said impatiently. Red took off his backpack and searched through it. He took out his bicycle, unfolded it, and got on it. I rode off, following the path of the eastern road. There were a few trainers there, which Red and I were more than happy to battle against. We rode our bikes down the road until a pair of little girls stood right in the middle of it, causing us to stop.

"We challenge you two to a battle," said the girl on the left, pointing at us.

"We won't lose because we have twin power," said the identical girl on the right.

They both threw out a pokéball, releasing a Jigglypuff and Clefairy. Red and I sent out Pikachu and Breeze to battle against the Pokémon. Pikachu used Thunderbolt on Clefairy, greatly weakening it, while I had Breeze use Wing Attack on Jigglypuff. However, the contact with the other Pokémon caused Breeze to become infatuated with Jigglypuff. Great… Of all things for Breeze to fall in love with, it just had to be a balloon Pokémon. The opposing Pokémon then used Sing, but Jigglypuff's had missed. Pikachu then fell asleep, pretty much leaving both our Pokémon vulnerable.

Pikachu didn't wake up from his slumber, so I had Breeze use Wing Attack on Clefairy, but he didn't attack since he was immobilized by love. I growled in frustration and looked at Red.

"We need to switch our Pokémon," I said, coming up with a strategy.

"What do you propose," asked Red, watching the other Pokémon strengthen their defense and raise their evasion.

"Send out Fearow," I said, calling back Breeze. Red did the same for Pikachu, and sent out his Fearow. I sent out Terra, knowing that she won't ever become infatuated with the opposing female Pokémon. Then again, maybe Pokémon can go that way too. Terra received a Doubleslap from Clefairy, weakening her quite a bit, while Fearow endured a Pound from Jigglypuff. I then had Terra use Magnitude, taking out both opposing Pokémon without harming Fearow.

"Ha! How do you like that," I said, returning Terra back to her pokéball.

"Aw, we lost," said the twin on the right. The other twin walked up to us, offering money to us.

"Here's the money you guys won," she said, extending her hand that held the money. "It's not much but it's all we can give you."

Damn it. Now I feel like shit for taking little girls' money.

"Um, you don't have to do that," I said, shaking my hand to the girl. "It'd be better if you guys keep it."

"But, I thought you're supposed to give money to the winner of a Pokémon battle," said the girl, looking at us with a confused look.

"Well, yeah, but we don't really need it. You can keep the money. We'll just challenge those guys over there."

I pointed to four people nearby, lining up for some reason.

"Okay, thanks, nice lady," she said with a smile, walking back to her sister. "I hope you and your boyfriend win against them!"

"He's not my—"

The twins had run off to play somewhere, oblivious of the fact I was trying to inform them of. I looked over at Red, who was looking away at a large patch of grass that was fenced in. I was half-expecting him to comment on the little girl's statement. He didn't, probably ignoring what she said.

"I call that half," I said, riding up to the bottom half of the lined up people. I left Red behind to battle them, but he caught up to challenge the other half. Once those trainers were taken care of, I noticed some guys riding bikes around farther down the road. I rode over to them, challenging them to a battle, Red following my lead. After the Bikers were defeated, there were only a few trainers left. We figured it was best to get it done and over with so we challenged them as well. When I was done with my battle against a Super Nerd, I looked around for Red. I didn't see him around so I rode around the road to find him. I backtracked until I found him looking through the grass in that fenced in area. I got off my bike, leaving it to the side by the fence, and walked up to him.

"What are you doing," I asked him, curious to know what he's up to.

"Catching Pokémon," he replied, turning around to face me.

"Did you catch anything?"

"Yes, I did."

"Really? What did you catch?"

"A Vulpix."

"What's a Vulpix?"

Before he could answer, I interrupted him.

"Wait, let's take a break first. You can show me then," I said, walking out of the grass. I sat down near the fence, and released my Pokémon from their pokéballs while Red did the same for his. The new Pokémon on his team was a little red fox with six tails. I had to admit that it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"Why didn't you catch a Growlithe," I asked Red. "Blue has one and I thought it was kind of cool."

"Blue has a Growlithe? In that case, I'll stay with Vulpix," he replied, sitting next to me. "But I'll probably catch a Growlithe, anyway, to fill in the Pokédex."

I looked around in my bag for snacks for all of us to eat. I pulled out a couple of bags of Pokémon food, giving some to Red. I have to buy more Pokémon food for us. Since some of our Pokémon have evolved already, they're eating more than they did before they evolved. It's like they have a second stomach, but, hey, a growing Pokémon needs its food. Red and I evenly distributed the food, handing them to our Pokémon. I was a little worried about Red feeding his Gyarados since it looked like it could easily eat him instead.

"Here you go, Red," I said, handing him a bag of chips. "I know that the spicy kind is your favorite."

"Thank you," he said, accepting the bag and opening it. We ate our snacks, watching our Pokémon eat their food. Our Pikachu were getting along just fine, enjoying each other's company. Breeze and Fearow seemed a little wary of the other, but they were at least tolerating each other. Gyarados was eating on his own, his large size and intimidating face keeping the other Pokémon away. Terra was picking food and hiding back underground, eating in secret. Ivysaur and Flare were strangely getting along, even sharing their food. I didn't think they'd be able to get along since they're somewhat opposite elements.

Vulpix ate beside Red, probably unsure whether to join with the other Pokémon or not. Being that she—Wait, is it a she?—was recently caught, she might be a little shy.

"Hey, Red, is Vulpix a girl," I asked him. When I asked that, I noticed Vulpix suddenly glaring at me.

"Yes, she is," replied Red, petting Vulpix's head. "I need to start training her right away."

This guy… Why does he have to be so serious about training? I've never seen him so serious about anything before. I mean, sure, he's a naturally serious guy, but he hasn't been so… Determined about anything. Maybe being a Pokémon Trainer is his calling?

"Well, be better get going," I said, crumpling my empty bag of chips. "Are you guys all ready?"

My Pokémon nodded, and I returned them back to their pokéballs. Red got up from where he was sitting, putting his Pokémon back to their pokéballs as well. We picked up any trash around, stuffing it in my bag. Really, it's like my bag is a trash can now. Good thing I regularly clean it out whenever I stay at a Pokémon Center. Red and I got back on our bikes and went to the eastern gate of Saffron City. When we got there, there was a sign out front saying, "Saffron City closed off." I looked away to the side, seeing a small building nearby.

"Hey, I think that's an Underground Path," I said, pointing at the building. "There really is one over here, too!"

We rode up to the building, getting off our bikes and putting them away in our bags, and went inside. We quickly walked through the underground path until we started to run to get to the other side faster. When we reached the other side, we went up the stairs and walked out. Outside, there was the western gate of Saffron and a short path to Celadon. Since we obviously couldn't go to Saffron, we headed straight for Celadon. Celadon City was an amazing sight. There were lots of tall buildings and many people walking around. This might not be very impressive to other people, but to me it sure was.

"Wow, this place is huge," I said excitedly, looking at everything around me. "What should we do first? Go take on the gym leader? Or maybe shopping? Oh, how about—"

"How about we heal our Pokémon first," interrupted Red, walking to a nearby Pokémon Center.

Smartass. But he was right, though. My Pokémon need to be healed after all that battling on Route 8. We went to the Pokémon Center, leaving our Pokémon with the nurse to heal. We sat down on some chairs, waiting for our Pokémon.

"Did you see that Team Rocket member outside," asked Red, making me look up in surprise.

"What? One of those Rocket Grunts was outside," I asked in disbelief.

"Seems like they're here too. We have to figure out what, exactly, they're up to."

"Ugh, those guys are proving to be really annoying now."

"Excuse me," called the nurse, making us both look up. "You're Pokémon are all healed."

We went up to the counter and retrieved our Pokémon, clipping the pokéballs to our belts. We left the Pokémon Center and sure enough, a Rocket Grunt was standing around, watching people carefully. He wasn't really doing anything wrong, for now, but we kept a good eye on him as we walked by.

"Leaf, let's split up and search around the city. If Team Rocket is here, they're probably hiding somewhere."

"Okay! Let's meet at the Celadon Dept. Store later," I said, eager to explore the city.

"How do you know the name of the store here?"

"It's where Daisy buys her tea from," I replied. "I remember her telling me that a long time ago."

Red nodded, and then walked away. I looked around for a place I can search. As I walked down the street, I noticed a sign in front of a large building. The sign read, "Celadon Mansion." Hm, it's pretty unsuspicious, which is a good reason to check it out. An unsuspicious place is perfect for Team Rocket to hide at. I walked inside, wondering who I will find here. The décor inside is very nice. There was beautiful blue carpet, plants aligned by the walls, and a large table in a nearby room. An old woman and her three Pokémon, a Clefairy, Nidoran , and Meowth, were sitting by the table.

"Excuse me," I said, walking up to the old lady. "Have you seen any guys in black with a huge capital 'R' on their shirts around here?"

"No, I haven't," she replied. "But would you like anything to drink?"

"I guess some soda would be nice."

"Soda," she yelled, startling me and her Pokémon. "You kids and your soda! Back in my day, all we had was just plain water! Sometimes we even had to drink from the rivers!"

"Oh, um… Sorry?"

"Here," she said, pulling out a tea kettle from nowhere. "Have a cup of tea instead."

She served me a cup and handed it to me. The scent of the tea was strangely familiar, but ignored it and drank it down. However, the taste was absolutely awful. I wanted to spit it right out because it was so bitter, but I was afraid to do that. Who knows what this crazy old lady will do if I show any sign of disliking her tea. That horrible bitter tea was tough to swallow, and yet I managed to drink the whole cup.

"Thanks," I managed to say, feeling a little sick to my stomach.

"Did you like it," she asked with a smile. I quickly nodded, refusing to use my voice in case it betrayed me by saying otherwise.

"All right since you like it so much," she began, pouring the tea into a thermos. "You can have the rest of it."

"Thanks again," I said, accepting the thermos from her. I got up and walked away, feeling like I would barf it up if I stayed any longer. Now I know why that tea was familiar. Daisy once bought this kind and brewed it back in Pallet Town. Blue, Red, and I had come back from school, going over to Blue's house to do our homework. When we got there, Daisy had finished brewing the tea, which smelled really good. We figured it wouldn't hurt to get a cup of tea with her. We were wrong… So, so wrong. Blue immediately spit it out, I swallowed it down but my hair was standing on end from the bitterness. Red, however, was the only one who actually liked it.

I chuckled to myself as I went up the stairs, remembering such a funny moment. To my surprise, there was no one on the second floor. Kind of weird but nothing out of the ordinary. I went up to the third floor, this time a group of people working on computers. What a bunch of nerds. I went to the top floor, which was the roof. There wasn't anything there except for what looked like another room on the other side of the fence. How do I get over there? I went back to the stairs, running down them as I did so, and reached the first floor again.

"Hey," I began, getting the old woman's attention. "How do you get to that room on the roof?"

"Oh, just go around back," she replied. "That guy up there is a bit of a loner, but at least he pays rent."

I left the mansion and walked down the street to find the alley to get to the back of the mansion. After about five minutes, I found it, following the path to a back door behind Celadon Mansion. I went inside and saw a staircase, which I climbed. It was a lot of steps to climb but I eventually reached the roof again. A sign on the wall had "I know everything!" written on it. Pretty arrogant for anyone to claim that. I would know since Blue used to say that when we were kids. That guy is the definition of arrogance.

I went inside the room, seeing a guy in a karate outfit staring at a chalkboard. He was writing something on it, but it was hard to see with him in the way.

"Um, hello," I said, causing him to turn around.

"Ah, welcome," he said proudly. "You must have sought guidance from me since there is nothing that I don't know. I know about the world of Pokémon! Feel free to look at my books and notes for greater knowledge!"

"Okay, thanks," I said, looking at a notebook on small table that was in the middle of the room. I flipped it open and skimmed it. Turns out that there are currently fifty TMs and seven HMs. I looked at the blackboard, which was gibberish on "Union Rooms" and whatnot. I looked away, feeling a little disappointed, until something caught my eye. There was a pokéball on a small table, which gave off the impression of a trophy on a pedestal.

"Hey, is there a Pokémon in there," I asked the karate guy.

"There is! Unfortunately, I'm a trainer of the mind, not of Pokémon," he replied, looking pleased with himself. I never would have guessed he was that type of guy, especially since he's wearing a karate outfit.

"My only pursuit is that of higher knowledge. I received that Pokémon from a friend, but I'm far too busy with my studies to take care of it. You are free to take that Pokémon with you. I'm sure it'll be better off in your hands."

"Wow, thank you! I'll take good care of it," I said, grabbing the pokéball and clipping it to my belt.

"Would you like to nickname the newly obtained Eevee," asked a familiar monotonous voice from my bag.

"Eevee," I asked out loud, reaching in my bag and grabbing my Pokédex. There was a page of description about Eevee, and it also said that it was male and had a lax nature. Hold on… Eevee is that Pokémon Bill once showed me on his computer. That means that this Eevee could evolve into those other three Pokémon he showed me too!

"Not this time," I told my Pokémon, putting it away.

"A valid decision, lesser organism," said my Pokédex.

I rolled my eyes as I walked out. I went back outside, making my way to the back of the mansion. Once I was outside the mansion, I figured that I should go wait for Red by the department store. Maybe he found something interesting that he'd like to tell me. I walked to the department store, staring at all the tall buildings around me. When I arrived, I waited for Red, wondering where the hell he was. He eventually showed up, after like fifteen minutes, looking the same as always.

"Any luck," I asked him.

"Here," he said, taking out a small black case and giving it to me. "Some guy at a restaurant I was at gave it to me. It's for the Game Corner."

"Oh, thanks," I said, putting away the coin case in my bag. "But what were you doing at a restaurant?"

"Finding information about Team Rocket. I found out that they own the Game Corner here."

"A criminal organization owning a casino? Somehow, that doesn't really surprise me. Anyway, I want to check out the department store! Can we? Please?"

Red sighed, looking away to the right. I could tell that he wanted to find Team Rocket right away and we really should go do that. However, it's been a long while since I've had a day off.

"All right," he said, surprising me. "I suppose we have the time to look around."

"Yay," I said happily, grabbing Red's hand and leading him inside. The first floor of the department store was surprisingly empty, only the store greeter sitting behind a desk. It was brightly decorated too, what with the oranges and yellows.

"Welcome to the Celadon Department Store," said the greeter with a smile. "The board on the right describes the store layout."

Red and I nodded, walking by to the stairs. We went up the stairs to the second floor, which was the Trainer's Market. They sold a variety of things, from TMs to Repels. I bought a couple of Super Potions, Paralyz Heals, and a few Great Balls. Red bought almost the same as me but, instead of Paralyz Heals, he got Antidotes. We then went to the third floor, which had a lot of SNESs and televisions. Before I could even check out what was on sale, Red grabbed my arm, leading me to the fourth floor.

"No," he said as we went upstairs. "Knowing you, you'll probably sit in front of those TVs for a few hours."

Before I could protest, we were already on the fourth floor. This was pretty unique because there were some cases that had bright stones inside. I went up to a case, Red following me, and stared at the stones inside. There was an orange-yellow stone that looked like it had fire in it, a green stone with a thunderbolt pattern on it, a clear light blue stone, and a gray stone with a green leaf pattern. It would be cool to have one of each just for the hell of it. I don't know what they're for but they might be useful later. I walked up to the counter, tapping it to get the clerk's attention.

"Yes? How may I help you," he asked with a smile.

"Are those stones for sale," I asked, pointing at the case full of colored stones.

"They are," he replied with a nod. "Those are special evolutionary stones. Certain Pokémon evolve after exposure to a particular stone. The only stones we're missing are the Moon Stones, but they are rather rare and can only be found in Mt. Moon."

"I'll take one of each," I said, digging through my bag and taking out a handful of money. I paid him the necessary amount, and he gave me the evolution stones. As I put them in my bag, the clerk suddenly took out a Pokémon doll.

"May I interest you in a Pokédoll? They can be used to escape from battles with wild Pokémon," offered the clerk.

He then looked at Red, and added, "Also, they're quite popular with the ladies. I'm sure your girlfriend here would really like one."

"He's not my boyfriend," I said with an annoyed tone.

"Ah, my mistake," said the clerk, putting away the Pokédoll. Red and I walked away, heading up to the fifth floor. Thanks to a sign on the wall, this floor was the "Drugstore." We checked out what kind of items they had, but it was all very expensive. I mean, Calcium for $9800? I can't use up a good chunk of my money on that. We left the fifth floor, going to the roof. I looked over the rail to see how far up we were. Six stories is definitely a long way down. I looked back and saw Red sitting down by a table. I guess he needs to rest for a bit.

"Big brother! Can you buy me a drink," I heard a voice ask, causing me to turn to see who it was. A little girl wearing a blue dress and carrying a little purse was with a boy wearing a red shirt and dark blue pants.

"I didn't bring any money, remember? We're only here to window shop," replied the boy.

I saw three vending machines close by so I went to see what they had. All they had was Soda Pop, Fresh Water, and Lemonade. I bought one of each, carried them all in my arms, and handed the Soda Pop to the little girl, who only looked at me with surprise.

"You're thirsty, right? You can have some soda," I said. Somewhere in the back of my head, I could hear that old lady yelling at me for giving her soda instead of water or her disgusting tea.

"Thanks so much," said the girl happily, opening the soda and drinking it down. Drinking is an understatement… She was chugging that bottle down. She drank it down in a couple of seconds.

"Got anymore," she asked, eyeing the Fresh Water in my hand. I handed her the water, which she also drank down in record time. I figured I should just give her the Lemonade too so I handed her the bottle as well. She drank that down quickly as well, giving a small burp when she finished.

"Excuse me," she said with light embarrassment. "Here, you can have these for buying me some drinks."

She reached into her little purse, struggling to get something out. She finally took out three cd cases, obviously TMs, and handed them to me.

"Thank you again for helping me, nice lady," she said, running off to the rail to see the city.

"I'm sorry for troubling you," said her brother, looking a little ashamed.

"It's no problem," I said with a laugh. "Red! Let's go!"

Red got up from the table he was sitting at, and followed me downstairs. However, while we made our way down the floors, I stopped at the third floor to check out what was there.

"Leaf, we don't have—"

"I'm not here for the games," I said, interrupting him. "I wanted to check out that little stand over there with all the glasses. But you had to pull me along to the fourth floor!"

"Oh," he said, looking a little surprised. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, it's not a big deal," I shrugged, walking over to the stand. I turned it, looking at all the glasses and sunglasses. I picked a pair of glasses and tried them on, checking how I looked in the small mirror above the stand.

"How do I look," I asked Red, turning around so he could see.

"Like one of Professor Oak's aides," he replied, observing the other glasses. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I saw a pair of glasses with a black frame, and an idea popped into my head. I carefully grabbed them, slipping them on Red's face. He looked pretty surprised. I guess he wasn't expecting me to do that.

"Wow, Red," I said, staring at him. "You look good in glasses!"

His eyes looked away, as if they would much rather focus on anything else than me. That's kind of rude. I turned the revolving stand, picking out a pair of sunglasses.

"Here, try these on," I told Red, taking off his hat and the glasses, and slipping on the sunglasses.

"Can you give back my hat," asked Red in an annoyed tone.

I ignored him, and stared at him.

"Awesome," I said with a grin, giving him a thumbs up.

"Leaf, we really shouldn't be wasting time here with this," said Red, taking off the sunglasses and taking back his hat. "Team Rocket probably has some scheme going on and—"

"We need to challenge the gym leader first," I interrupted, putting my hands on my hips. "And I think I have an idea on how to find out what they're up to."

* * *

**_A/N: Eevee and Vulpix are so adorable... Anyway, I was thinking of having Celadon City as a chapter all on its own, but there's just too much to do there. It would take a really long time for me to write it all. So, I had to break it into sections. Oh, and look! Ship-teases! How dare I write such things to keep the readers guessing! Then again, I'm also keeping myself guessing. And yes, the chapter title is a pun on the Guns N Roses song. After all, Celadon City has green grass and pretty girls for... obvious reasons. All you have to do is look at the gym. So, thank you, my readers, for reviewing! I appreciate it so much! That reminds me. To Random Reader, be patient. All shall be revealed in due time._**


	13. Fun Times at the Game Corner

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure 

Part 1: The Insanity Begins!

I stared at the PC's screen, taking out some of my items from my bag. I was storing away the evolution stones I bought earlier. It would be best if I put them away for safe keeping. I then looked down at my belt, unclipping my newly added Pokémon.

"Hey, Red," I began, looking over at Red who was leaning against the wall. "Should I put Eevee in the PC?"

"When did you get an Eevee," asked Red, looking at the computer screen.

"From some guy," I replied. "So anyway, what should I do with Eevee?"

"Did you say 'Eevee,'" said a voice that caused me and Red to turn our heads. A middle aged man walked over to us, wearing a brown suit and tipping his hat to greet us.

"Eevee is a surprisingly rare Pokémon," explained the man. "If I were you, I'd keep that Eevee somewhere safe until you're sure what Pokémon you want it to evolve to."

"What do you mean by that," I asked, intrigued by the information.

"See, Eevee can evolve into three different Pokémon if it's exposed to the Fire, Thunder, or Water Stones."

"Wow! Does that mean it'll evolve into something new if I use all three stones?"

"No, I tried that and nothing happened. I think the power of the stones canceled each other out."

"What you're saying is that whatever stone I use, I'm stuck with the Pokémon I get?"

"Precisely," said the man with a nod. "Actually, I've heard you can breed Eevee with a Ditto or something like that. I'm not sure about the details."

He walked away, leaving me to store Eevee in the PC. When that was done, Red and I walked out of the Pokémon Center, thinking of what the man said.

"Red, how do Pokémon breed," I asked him.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out. But if you want to watch Pokémon breed, go ahead and do that," he replied.

"I'm not going to do that," I yelled, my face feeling a little warm. "I'm not the one with a Pokémon that has tentacles! Who knows what you make Ivysaur do behind closed doors."

Red suddenly glared at me, and I couldn't help but smirk. It's his fault for trying to make me look like the pervert in all this.

"I'm going to train Vulpix for the gym," he said, walking away. Guess this means I should go take on the gym leader then. Hey, wait a minute… Does Red know what type of Pokémon the gym specializes in? He must have found it earlier without telling me. I'll have to find it myself. Now, where is that gym at? I walked through the streets, looking for the gym. It has to be around here somewhere. I ended up in the southern part of the city, walking down the street to see if the gym was around there. I stopped when I saw one of those Team Rocket grunts. What the hell is he doing here? He noticed me and walked up to me, a glare obvious on his face.

"What are you staring at," he said harshly, staring down at me. "Get lost or I'll punch you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and walking away. "My Pokémon will beat you down before you even swing at me."

I left him to curse at me while I kept walking. I found another skinny tree, letting Terra Cut it down. I walked down the grassy path to the end, a large gym waiting at the end. So this is where it was. An old man was standing outside a window, chuckling to himself.

"This gym is great," he muttered. "It's full of women!"

Oh, gross! Perverted old man! Not only that, but I think he's crazy, too, if he was talking to himself! I quickly walked in and then realized that I didn't read the sign outside. Shit… Wait, I think I can take on this gym. Inside, there were a lot of trees around, complete with grass and dirt on the floor. I grabbed Breeze's pokéball, ready for the first gym trainer there.

"Hey! Only real ladies are allowed here," said a girl, running up to me with a pokéball in her hand.

"Are you calling me a cross dresser or masculine," I asked with an irritated tone, letting out Breeze to battle whatever Pokémon she had. Breeze quickly defeated her Bellsprout and Weepinbell with Wing Attack.

"You're too rough," said the girl, calling back her fainted Pokémon.

"That's how a real lady should be," I said with a smirk as she paid me my prize money.

I moved on to the next trainer. The second trainer was a Beauty, and I mean that by Trainer Class. She had more Pokémon but they were only two Bellsprout and two Oddish. That was a bit of a disappointment, but at least I got some experience for Breeze. After the Beauty paid me, I went down the right path to see if there were trainers there. Yep, there was one, and she was a Picnicker too.

"Weren't you peeking in here earlier," she asked me with a disgusted tone.

"Damn it! I'm not into girls," I yelled, sending out Breeze again. I had Breeze take out her Bulbasaur, and Flare take out her Ivysaur. That'll teach her to make accusations about my preferences.

"Oh, you were looking at Erika. You weren't looking at me," she said with disappointment as she paid me.

I stuffed the money in my bag angrily. I was definitely not staring at another girl! Especially not at Erika! I guess she's the gym leader here. Ugh, would it hurt her to get some guys around here? It would definitely make things more bearable for me. I walked away from the Picnicker and went to the left path. Please, let there be a normal trainer. When I walked down the left path, another Beauty challenged me. Well, at least she said something somewhat normal before challenging me. She only talked about how easy it was to raise the Grass-type. I had Breeze and Flare battle her duo of Bellsprout.

After the Beauty paid my prize money, I walked down the path and Cut down a small tree. I was kind of surprised to see what was on the other side. I saw Erika—at least I think it's Erika—not too far away, wearing a yellow and red kimono. She had two girls beside her. It sort of reminded me of the days in school when I would see the more "popular" guys walking around with two girls under his arms. I'm not going to judge Erika, but I think this explains the lack of male trainers in her gym. Well, time to take on the gym trainers here so I can get the experience for my Pokémon. I'll be ready to challenge Erika then.

I challenged the Cool Trainer there, who greeted me and even told me not to underestimate the nice ladies here in the gym. Yes, I'd say they are a bit _too_ friendly here… Flare and Breeze made short work of her Grass-type Pokémon, which isn't much of a surprise. Also, I just noticed that all the trainers I've battled so far have used mostly female Pokémon. Then again, I have a team of mostly male Pokémon. I then battled the Beauty that was standing next to Erika, who only had an Exeggcute. Breeze easily defeated the Exeggcute. I then challenged the last trainer left, who didn't take too kindly to me.

"Hey, we don't like Bug- or Fire-type Pokémon in here," she said, sending out an Oddish.

"Too bad! Because I love burning things down with Flare," I said, sending out my Charmeleon.

When I defeated her Pokémon with Flare's Ember, I walked out of the gym. I went through all those trainers without healing, but my Pokémon—specifically Flare and Breeze—didn't really need to be healed since they didn't get hurt much from the battling. However, I want to have them in top shape to battle Erika. I made a quick trip to the Pokémon Center to heal them up, and went back to the gym.

I walked to where Erika was, who seemed pleased to see me. She was probably watching all my battles and knew I'd fight her sooner or later. But I'm here now and more than ready to battle her.

"Hello. Lovely weather, isn't it? It's so pleasant," she said softly, gazing at me.

"I guess. I wish it'd rain once in a while though," I replied, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh, dear. I must have dozed off. Welcome," she said, her eyes looking a little more alert. "My name is Erika. I am the leader of Celadon Gym. I am a student of the art of flower arranging."

"You can actually get a major in that?"

"My Pokémon are solely of the Grass-type," she continued, ignoring my question. "Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea that you wished to challenge me."

"Well, I definitely didn't come here to hear your life story," I said bluntly.

"Very well, but I shall not lose," she said, looking sternly at me.

Heh, guess she has some hidden fire in her. She sent out Victreebel while I sent out Breeze. Breeze attacked first with a Wing Attack, which Victreebel endured through. It countered with Stun Spore, paralyzing Breeze. Victreebel then attacked again with Acid, hurting Breeze a little. Breeze managed to perform another Wing Attack, knocking out Victreebel. I returned Breeze back to his pokéball and sent out Flare as Erika sent out Tangela. Flare used Ember on Tangela, the fire hitting the Grass-type in a way that made the attack stronger. Tangela fainted from the attack, causing Erika to withdraw Tangela and send out Vileplume.

Flare attacked Vileplume with another Ember, weakening it. Vileplume attacked with Stun Spore, successfully paralyzing Flare. Figures that it'd use a status-affecting move like that. Vileplume attacked with Acid, hurting Flare a little. However, Flare's paralysis made it impossible to attack back. I quickly searched through my bag and used a Paralyz Heal on Flare, but he had to endure another Acid. With Flare free from paralysis, I had him use another Ember, causing Vileplume to faint.

"Oh! I concede defeat," said Erika, returning Vileplume to its pokéball. "You are remarkably strong. I must confer on you the Rainbow Badge."

She reached into her kimono and pulled out a small green purse. She opened it and took out a badge that looked like a flower but with different colored petals. Erika stretched her arm out, making me offer my hand so she can give me the badge, and she delicately dropped it in my hand. I quickly grabbed my case for my badges from my bag so I can put away my newly acquired badge.

"The Rainbow Badge will make stronger Pokémon you receive in trades to obey. It also allows Pokémon to use Strength in and out of battle. Please also take this with you."

Erika looked at the Beauty next to her, prompting her to hand a cd to the gym leader.

"This TM contains Giga Drain," she explained, handing the TM to me. "Half the damage it inflicts is drained to heal your Pokémon. Wouldn't you agree that it's a wonderful move?"

"Um, I guess," I said, putting away the TM in my TM Case. "I must get going though. Lots to do, lots of Pokémon to catch."

"You are cataloging Pokémon? I must say I'm impressed," she said, looking at me with obvious admiration. "I would never collect Pokémon if they were unattractive."

Flare, who was standing next to me the whole time, made a snorting sound and then growled loudly. To me, it seemed like he was saying something along the lines of "As if your Pokémon were any better!"

"C'mon, Flare," I said, chuckling a little. "You did a good job here and it's time we head out."

I returned Flare to his pokéball and made my way out of the gym. I stopped for a short moment to look at the sign outside, which read "Erika: The Nature-Loving Princess!" I quickly walked down the grassy path, not bothering a glance at the perverted old man outside the gym. I went to the Pokémon Center to heal up Breeze and Flare. When my Pokémon were healed, I decided I should wait for Red. I got a little bored and began to look through my Pokédex to find any interesting information about my Pokémon. Whenever I catch a new Pokémon, my Pokédex always shows a page of information about it, but I wondered about their evolutions. The first one I looked at was Charmeleon's, and I started to read the information.

"It lashes about with its tail to knock down its foe. It then tears up the fallen opponent with sharp claws." Holy shit! Flare's kind of crazy! I looked through until I found Pidgeotto's page. "The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over 60 miles away." Wow, Breeze is pretty strong! I read the pages of the other Pokémon I've caught and seen, even though I've done it before. I started to get bored so I put away my Pokédex, grateful that it didn't say anything to insult me. Since there wasn't much else to do, I thought I should take a nap. I sat down by a table and rested my head on it, drifting off to sleep.

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but someone was tapping my shoulder to get me to wake up. Jeez, why do people have to bug me when I'm sleeping? The tapping changed into shaking, rudely waking me up.

"What? What is it," I said with an annoyed tone, looking around and seeing Red.

"You should go sleep in a room," said Red. He looked pretty tired. How long was he training Vulpix?

"What time is it," I asked, looking outside the glass door to see the street lights on and people walking by.

"It's rather late."

"Oh. Did you get the Rainbow Badge yet?"

"Yes, a few hours ago. You won yours, right?"

"You know it," I said with a smile. I then yawned, realizing how tired I actually was.

"Okay, I really should get some sleep," I said, getting up from the table. Red only nodded, walking with me down the hall to stay at a vacant room. I went inside one while he entered another. I dropped my bag near the bed, falling on the soft mattress. I squirmed until I got my head resting on the pillow. In a matter of seconds, I went back to sleep.

* * *

"All right, here's the plan," I said, pointing at Red with my fork. We were at a restaurant, which was the same one Red went yesterday. We were only here for some breakfast and to talk about our plan to find Team Rocket. I ordered a plate of French toast, two eggs over easy, and a link of sausage. Red had ordered a plate of two pancakes and scrambled eggs.

"We're going to have to go to that Game Corner, play the slots a bit, and keep an eye out for any Rocket Grunts," I said, drenching my toast in syrup.

"Is that just an excuse for you to play the slots," asked Red, eating a forkful of scrambled eggs.

"No… Okay, a little," I admitted, eating the sausage link. "But we can't just storm in there and snoop around. It's going to alert them, and we'll end up making a scene. It's better to seem completely harmless and ninja them when they have their guards down!"

"You're right about that," he said, putting a little syrup on his pancakes. "Leaf, you're smarter than you look."

"Of course I am," I said proudly until I realized what he said. "Hey, wait! Are you saying I look stupid?"

Red ignored me, eating his pancakes in peace. I huffed, focusing on my own food instead of what he said. We finished our breakfast in about twenty minutes or so, paid the bill for it, and moved on. Our next stop was the Game Corner. We walked down the streets until we found the brightly colored building. We went inside and saw a lot of slot machines there. It was a little loud there since all you could hear was the sound of the reels, coins being won, and some of the slots making idle beeping noises. Red and I split up so we could cover more ground. I sat down in front a slot machine and took out my Coin Case from my bag. I opened it and saw that it was completely empty. I sighed loudly, unsure of how I was going to get some coins to play.

"Do you need some coins, young lady," said the man sitting next to me. I looked over at him and jumped in surprise when I saw him.

"Hey, you're that guy from earlier! The one who told me about Eevee," I said, staring at him to make sure.

"Yes, well, your hat made it easy for me to recognize you," he said with a chuckle. "Here have some of my coins. I've been doing fairly well at the slots lately."

He handed me twenty coins, which I put away in my Coin Case.

"Thanks," I said, smiling at the older gentleman.

"No problem," he replied, turning his attention back to the slot machine he was playing.

I put in two coins and played, but I didn't win anything that time. I kept betting coins, steadily losing and winning them. I managed to land on the jackpot triple 7's, which gave me 300 coins. I got very excited about my win and kept playing, losing more of my coins than winning. I ended up at around 220 until I hit another jackpot by chance. Another 300 coins poured out, which I eagerly began to stuff in my Coin Case. As I neatly fit the coins in the case, I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw Red walking rather fast with a determined look in his eyes. He must have found one of those Rocket Grunts. I quickly stuffed my Coin Case in my bag, getting up from my seat and running after Red.

By the time I caught up to Red, he was already battling a Rocket Grunt. The grunt's Raticate attacked Red's Vulpix with a Quick Attack, but Vulpix countered with a Flamethrower, making the rat Pokémon faint. Red returned Vulpix to her pokéball, and sent out Pikachu. The grunt sent out a Zubat, who was quickly defeated by Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

"Damn it," yelled the Rocket Grunt, calling back his faint Pokémon. "The Team Rocket Hideout might be discovered! I better tell Boss!"

The Rocket Grunt ran off to the corner of the room, disappearing into the shadows.

"Whoa! Is he a ninja," I asked, surprised by how the grunt just vanished. I looked over at Red, who was lifting up a poster that was on the wall. What was he doing? That was when I saw a switch under the poster, which Red pushed. We heard a weird mechanical sound like gears turning. We turned our attention to the dark corner of the room, seeing movement there. We walked over to the corner, seeing a stairway descending to a lower floor.

"Cool! A secret passage," I said with excitement. "Red, how did you know that switch was under the poster?"

"Yesterday, I ran into a grunt that said I shouldn't touch it and that there wasn't a secret switch there," he replied, going down the stairs.

"What a dumbass."

We went down the stairs, seeing a large room with another set of stairs nearby.

"Wow, I never would have thought this was beneath the Game Corner. Let's split up and track down those criminals," I said, walking away until Red suddenly grabbed my arm.

"What," I asked, a little surprised by his action. "I'm not going to get hurt, you know. I'll be just fine as long as my Pokémon are with me."

Red looked like he was considering what I was saying, and then finally let me go. I walked down a right corridor, wondering why Red was so concerned about my safety. Eh, it's probably because he promised my mom to watch out for me. At the end of the corridor, a Rocket Grunt stood there, who saw me and immediately ran up to me. I quickly grabbed Breeze's pokéball, ready for what this guy might do.

"You broke into Team Rocket's operation? What nerve," he said, sending out a Raticate. The Raticate attacked right away with Quick Attack, while Breeze used Wing Attack. Raticate didn't hurt Breeze much, but the same couldn't be said for the Raticate, who was greatly injured from Wing Attack. I had Breeze finish it off with a Quick Attack, prompting the grunt to recall it. I returned Breeze to his pokéball and sent out Static, while the grunt sent out another Raticate. Static used Thunderbolt, severely weakening Raticate. Raticate just used Tail Whip, but I had Static use Quick Attack to end the battle.

"You're not going to get away with this, brat," said the grunt menacingly, his hands forming into fists. Static's red cheeks began to spark with electricity, his eyes glaring at the grunt. The Rocket Grunt took a step back, obviously feeling threatened by my Pikachu. I walked away from the grunt, Static jumping up on my shoulder while keeping an eye on the grunt. I entered a small room, which had nothing but two computers and a bundle of rope on the table. I grabbed the rope, knowing that it might become useful later, and put it in my bag.

I left the room, walking by the defeated grunt, and went straight down the hall, finding another room. However, this one had a grunt guarding it out front,

"Who are you," asked the grunt when he saw me approach. "How did you get here?"

The grunt sent out a Drowzee, while I let Static jump into the battle. Static attacked with a Thunderbolt, weakening the Drowzee, but Drowzee countered with Confusion, making Static confused. I hoped that Static would use Quick Attack, which he managed to pull off while confused. The Drowzee fainted, and I called back Static, sending out Breeze. The grunt sent out a Machop, which didn't stand a chance against Breeze's Wing Attack.

"All right," I began, returning Breeze to his pokéball. "You're going to have to step aside now, chump."

The Rocket Grunt glared at me, but moved away from the doorway to the room. As I walked in, I could hear him whisper something that sounded like "Damn it! I know she's dissing Team Rocket!" I ignored him, and went into the room. However, I was disappointed at what was inside. There was nothing but tables with diagrams and a huge door that didn't look like it was going to open for anybody. I left the room, going back to where I last saw Red. He wasn't there, probably went to the lower floor while I checked this area out. I went down the nearby staircase, stepping out into a hall. I saw another grunt standing in the middle of the hallway, looking out for intruders.

"Hey, you," I said, walking up to him. "Did you see a serious-looking guy with black hair and a red hat?"

"Another one? How the hell can freaking kids break into our hideout," he asked, grabbing a pokéball. "Well, I'm not going to let you pass and get the Silph Scope!"

I smirked when I heard the last part, sending Static out to fight whatever Pokémon he had. He sent out a Zubat, which Static easily defeated with a Thunderbolt. The grunt then sent out a Koffing, which also stood no chance against Thunderbolt. I let Static rest for a bit while I sent out Terra, the grunt sending out a Grimer. Since Grimer is a Poison-type, I had Terra use Magnitude, causing the Grimer to faint. The grunt looked rather frustrated at this point, sending out another Zubat. He probably thought he had an advantage over me, but I knew having that kid in the Rock Tunnel teach Terra Rock Slide was going to be useful in the future. Rock Slide was more than enough to defeat the Zubat. The Rocket Grunt stared at his last pokéball for a moment and then tossed it, a Raticate appearing from it.

Jeez, what's with these grunts having the same Pokémon? Well, whatever, it'll go down easy with Terra's Magnitude. However, Magnitude wasn't very strong, only weakening the Raticate. Raticate attacked with a Tackle, but it managed to miss. Terra used Cut, finishing off the Raticate.

"I surrender," said the Rocket Grunt, calling back Raticate.

"Okay, now tell me where Red went," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I don't really know," he replied, looking a little intimidated. "The Team Rocket HQ has four underground floors. He could be anywhere, but I doubt he could reach the Boss!"

I sighed and looked behind the grunt. There were strange arrows on tiles, which looked a little suspicious. Was it possibly pointing the way I was supposed to go or something? I walked up to one of the tiles and stepped on it, sending me sliding off in one direction. I yelled as I landed on another arrow, which sent me off in another direction and then another. I didn't stop yelling until I landed on a rubbery yellow mat, which stopped me from sliding. My heart was racing in my chest from the sudden adrenaline rush. I looked back, seeing all the arrowed tiles I had passed, and then noticed a dark stone on the floor nearby. I walked toward it, avoiding those sliding tiles as I did so. I picked it up and realized that it was another Moon Stone. I walked back to the yellow mat and tried to find a path that didn't involve yelling in terror while I slid across the floor.

However, I soon began to realize that I'd be stranded here unless I step on one of those tiles. Surely one of them will send me back to the hallway. I looked around and found an arrowed tile near the yellow mat. I stared at it for a moment before stepping on it, sending me off on a short slide onto another yellow mat. I panted in fear when I stopped sliding. It wasn't really a bad fear, like what I felt when I was in Pokémon Tower. No, this was more like the fear you feel on a roller coaster. You're scared while you're on the ride, but feel great from the thrill afterward.

I picked up a cd case that was on the floor nearby, which was obviously a TM. I then walked around a little, figuring out what tile to step on next. The next ten minutes were spent sliding all over the floor, picking up an item if I found any, and figuring out how to get out of there. I eventually ended up in this vacant room, a staircase on one side with an elevator close by. I went to the elevator, only to find that it couldn't work without a key. Well, that's just great. I stepped out and went up the staircase, entering a very large room with two Rocket Grunts. I challenged them both, their Pokémon quickly defeated by Flare, and one of them gave me some information about their boss and the elevator.

I found a Hyper Potion laying around on the floor and put it away in my bag, quickly leaving the room and heading back to the hallway where I fought that grunt before. I ran straight for the stairs, descending to the third floor of the hideout. I went to the left of the stairs, encountering yet another Rocket Grunt.

"We got word from upstairs that two kids were coming," he yelled, tossing a pokéball that contained a Machop. I sent out Static, who used Thunderbolt to faint the Machop. I called back Static and sent out Breeze while the grunt sent out another Machop. Of course, Wing Attack was more than enough for Machop.

"Go ahead and go," growled the Rocket Grunt. "But you can't run the elevator without the Lift Key."

I walked past him and went down the hallway to the end. All there was at the end of the hall was another TM. After I put away the TM in my case, I ran back to the main hallway. I looked around some more and found a smaller area with those arrowed tiles. I slid around the tiles, picking up a Rare Candy and then ending up face-to-face with another Rocket Grunt.

"Stop meddling in Team Rocket's affairs or else," he said, sending out a Rattata. I tossed Terra's pokéball, using Magnitude to defeat the Rattata. The grunt then sent out a Raticate, which also didn't stand a chance against Magnitude. The Rocket Grunt seemed a little annoyed at how easily I was defeating his Pokémon. He then sent out Drowzee, who succumbed to Terra's Magnitude like its other partners. At that moment, Terra's body began to glow a bright white color. Her shape began to change and grew much larger. When the glow disappeared, she was no longer a Diglett. She was bigger now and had three heads!

"Congratulations," said my Pokédex's monotonous voice. "Your Diglett evolved into Dugtrio."

"Awesome," I said with excitement, and then looked over at the Rocket Grunt. "Hey, do you know anything about a Silph Scope?"

I almost forgot about that, but I remembered because that other grunt mentioned it. Red and I are going to need that for Pokémon Tower.

"Silph Scope," asked the grunt with confusion. "Oh, that machine the Boss stole. It should be somewhere around here."

I sighed and moved on, going down a short hallway until I reached a large room. On the floor, there was a pair of sunglasses. I picked them up, staring at them. They looked pretty cool so I'll just keep them. I put them away in my bag, noticing a staircase nearby. I went down the stairs into a hallway with two rooms. After picking up the Max Ether on the table nearby, I went into the other room, another Rocket Grunt standing nearby. He immediately saw me, walking right up to me.

"The elevator doesn't work? Of course it won't work. Not without the Lift Key, which I have," he said in an arrogant tone.

"Oh, really," I said, grabbing Static's pokéball and tossing it. "That Lift Key is going to be mine, one way or another!"

He sent out a Koffing, and I had Static use Thunderbolt to defeat it. I returned Static to his pokéball and sent out Terra. The grunt sent out a Zubat, which was quickly defeated by Terra's Rock Slide.

"Crap," said the Rocket Grunt, looking through his pockets and handing me a black key with an upper-case "R" on it. "Here, take the Lift Key! But I'm sure my Boss will take you down!"

I ran out of the room, not before picking up another TM that was lying around, and went up to the third floor. I got through the arrowed tiles and dashed down the hall, crashing into someone when I turned around a corner. I fell back, falling on the floor pretty hard.

"Ow! What the hell," I asked out loud, looking at the person I ran into. I was surprised to see Red sitting on the floor, looking just as surprised as I was.

"Red," I said happily, getting up and helping him up as well. "Where the heck were you? I was looking for you!"

"I was looking for information from the grunts here. Then I went to find the Lift Key," he replied, his voice calm as always.

"Oh, I have the Lift Key right here! I got it from a grunt I beat not too long ago!"

I reached in my bag and pulled out the black key I received a few minutes ago, showing Red that I had found it.

"Where did you find it," asked Red, looking at me curiously.

"Well, I had to go through those sliding tile things to get to it."

"I see. I didn't like sliding around on those tiles so I went to look for you."

It was kind of funny imagining Red on those sliding tiles. He was either surprised by it or had a stoic expression on his face the whole time. The whole idea made me chuckle a little.

"Were you looking for me to see I was safe," I asked him.

"No, I was looking for you so you could go on the sliding tiles for me," he replied, walking away to the stairs.

"I don't get why you don't like them," I said, following him. "It's like being on an amusement park ride!"

"There's nothing amusing about sliding across a floor."

I laughed at what he said. It reminded me of when Red, Blue, and I would use pillows to slide down the stairs, which was at either of our houses. Since Kanto is a rather warm region, there's hardly any snow, especially for Pallet Town, being that it's by the sea. So, I came up with the idea to "sled" in our own homes, using pillows as sleds and the stairs as slopes. Blue really liked my idea and grabbed some couch pillows for us to use. The first time we tried it out, it was at Blue's house, and it sure was a lot of fun. Well, it was fun for me and Blue. Red, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled. I later asked Red why he didn't like "sledding." He told me he found no fun in doing something idiotic or might cause harm to yourself and maybe others.

Blue and I thought he was just being boring. One day, we were at my house, finishing up our homework. When we were done, Blue challenged me to a sledding race. I accepted, and we had Red watch to see who got to the bottom first. However, when we were halfway down the stairs, my pillow had somehow turned, crashing into Blue. We ended up falling down the rest of the way, knocking over a vase that had been sitting on a pedestal. The vase fell and broke, porcelain shards flying everywhere. One of the shards had hit my leg, cutting me badly because I picked that day of all days to wear shorts.

My mom, who was outside watering the flower garden that was at the side of the house, heard the crash and came running inside. The look on her face had a mixture of fear, anger, and worry. There was a lot of blood on the floor, and I was just crying, putting my hands at my cut to stop it from bleeding any more. Red and Blue were frozen in place, unsure of what to do. My mom picked me up, running to the bathroom while yelling at Red and Blue to go home. She set me in the tub, running the water over my leg and went to get the first aid kit. When my leg was cleaned of blood, she disinfected my cut with peroxide before bandaging it up.

She carried me to my room, and helped me change out of my wet, blood-stained clothes. She then finally asked me to tell her what happened. I told her of the race Blue and I had, and how we fell and knocked over the vase. That's when she told me to stay in my room, and she walked out of the house. I didn't know it at the time, but she had gone to Blue's house, telling Daisy and Professor Oak of what had happened. She made it clear that it was Blue's fault for causing my injury and knocking over the vase. This resulted in Blue, as well as me, getting grounded for about two weeks. Red came over once in a while to visit me, which my mom allowed surprisingly.

Red had told me what had happened to Blue so I told my mom that it was my idea for coming up with the whole sledding thing. However, she said it was both my and Blue's fault. It's my fault for coming up with the idea, and it's Blue's fault for wanting to race that day. Once the punishment was over, I went over to Blue's right away. I explained what happened but he told me he already knew from Red. We went back to playing together like nothing had happened. The only reminder was the light scar on my left leg. It's not noticeable, thank goodness, but only if you really stare at it. Though I doubt anyone would stare that intensely at my legs. I couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"Are you ready," asked Red, bringing me back to reality. We were standing in front of those arrowed tiles, the same ones I had spent a while navigating through.

"Hell yeah, I am," I replied, grabbing his hand and stepping on the first tile. Thanks to all the trial-and-error I went through earlier, I knew the path to the elevator we had to get to. Once we got through the arrowed tiles, we ran up to the elevator and went inside. I reached in my bag and put the Lift Key in the keyhole by the elevator buttons. We weren't sure where we should go so we went to B1, which was the top floor in here. The elevator moved upward for a short while before stopping, the doors opening for us. We stepped out, but a Rocket Grunt spotted us.

"Are you lost, you little mice," he asked, giving us a condescending look.

He sent out a Grimer while I sent out Static. I could tell Static looked a little worn out. After this, I'll give him a good rest to get him back in top shape. Static used Thunderbolt, the attack hitting Grimer quite strongly and making the Pokémon faint. As both the grunt and I recalled our Pokémon, we sent out our next Pokémon, a Koffing and Pidgeotto respectively. Breeze used Wing Attack, weakening Koffing. Koffing countered with a Tackle, which hurt Breeze a little. I had Breeze use Quick Attack to finish off the Koffing, which ended the battle. There was a loud sound of something moving, making the grunt look down the hall.

"Shit," he said, looking a little confused. "That ruckus somehow opened the door."

Red and I went back inside the elevator, pushing the button that said B4. The elevator moved downward, making my stomach turn a little. It stopped and opened the doors, and we walked out into an empty hall. There was no one around, which made us more cautious than before. We followed the hall until we saw a huge door with two Rocket Grunts guarding it.

"I'll take the guy on the right," I said, pointing at the grunt.

"What the fuck? Why are there kids here," asked the grunt on the left.

"It doesn't matter," replied the grunt on the right. "They're not getting any farther than this."

"Hold on… They're the kids who ruined our plans at Mt. Moon," yelled the left grunt, taking out a pokéball.

"Yep, that's us," I said, walking up to the right grunt. "And you're going down, too!"

"How can you not see the beauty of our actions," he asked with a sigh, sending out an Ekans.

I sent out Breeze, who attacked with a Wing Attack. Ekans endured the attack, and used Bite to inflict a little damage. Breeze then used Gust, causing the Ekans to faint. The grunt called back Ekans and sent out a Sandshrew. Breeze used another Wing Attack, inflicting some damage to Sandshrew. Sandshrew then used Defense Curl, strengthening its defense. Breeze used another Wing Attack, but it didn't hurt Sandshrew much. The opposing Pokémon retaliated with Slash, hurting Breeze a little. I had Breeze use Quick Attack, but it only weakened Sandshrew a little, who used Poison Sting. Breeze then used Gust to finally make the Sandshrew faint.

I returned Breeze to his pokéball, and sent out Terra. Meanwhile, the grunt sent out an Arbok, which was a really huge snake. It most likely evolved from an Ekans. Terra immediately dug a hole, leaving the Arbok to use Leer, which obviously missed. Terra then attacked with Dig, making the large snake Pokémon faint. I looked over at Red, who had just finished defeating a Sandslash with his…

"What the hell," I yelled, pointing at a large blue beast with a bloomed flower on his back. "Is that Ivysaur?"

"Ivysaur evolved into Venusaur during our training yesterday," replied Red, returning Venusaur to his pokéball. "Has Flare evolved yet?"

"Damn it," said the left grunt. "Do you two have something against Team Rocket?"

"The Boss is going to be mad that we failed," said the other grunt.

"Red," I began, getting his attention. "Can you battle against their boss? My Pokémon are pretty weak from battling all those grunts before."

He nodded, and we walked inside the room.

* * *

**_A/N: What? Now it's a cliffhanger? Moonlight, you should be bricked. Ha, or maybe not. Anyway, forgive me for taking forever to update. College is getting rather stressful lately. Oh, and thank you, Random Reader, for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad someone enjoyed it. Now, to all my readers/reviewers, there's something I MUST ask... Should there be romance in the story? I originally planned for this to be without romance, focusing on the humor, adventure, and good old friendship, but from the reviews I get and what I've been writing, I'm not so sure. The second part of the story is starting in the next chapter, and I want to know whether or not there should be romance. Thank you all for reading and reviewing my story so far._**


	14. Ghost of Pokemon Tower

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

As Red and I entered the room, we saw a man sitting on an orange couch. He was wearing a black suit, and was probably middle-aged or so. There was a desk in front of him, a computer to the side. The rest of the room had plants and large machines behind the man. He looked annoyed to see us but there was something else in those dark eyes. Respect, maybe?

"So," he began, standing up from the couch. "I must say, I am impressed you got here."

He slowly walked around the desk until he was standing right in front of it.

"Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world," he continued, staring intently at both me and Red. "They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going."

"Thanks for explaining that," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "But who the heck are you?"

"I am the leader, Giovanni," he replied, glaring at me. "For your insolence, you will feel a world of pain!"

Red suddenly stepped in front of me, pushing me back a little while both he and Giovanni tossed a pokéball that released an Onix and Venusaur respectively. Venusaur began the battle with Razor Leaf, large leaves flying out and attacking Onix. It was greatly weakened from the attack, and countered with Bind, wrapping its large body around Venusaur and constricting. Venusaur then used Vine Whip to make the rock snake Pokémon faint. Giovanni returned Onix to its pokéball, and sent out a Rhyhorn. Venusaur used another Razor Leaf, this time causing more damage than normal to Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn fainted from the attack, causing Giovanni to call back the Pokémon.

Red did the same for Venusaur and sent out Vulpix while Giovanni sent out Kangaskhan. Vulpix attacked with Flamethrower, which Kangaskhan endured through. Kangaskhan used Bite, hurting Vulpix. Vulpix used another Flamethrower, finishing off Kangaskhan with the attack.

"What," yelled Giovanni, returning the faint Kangaskhan to its pokéball. "This can't be!"

"All right, Red," I said happily. "You did it!"

I looked over at Giovanni, who looked quite furious. However, he quickly composed himself, looking at us calmly.

"I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care," said Giovanni to Red. "A child like you would never understand what I hope to achieve."

Giovanni then walked by us, heading for the door. He stopped and looked back at us, determination obvious in his eyes.

"I shall step aside this time," he said, a smirk slowly appearing on his lips. "I hope we meet again."

He walked out, leaving Red and I alone in the room. I looked at the desk, and saw something lying on the floor near the couch. I ran around the desk and picked up whatever it was. It looked like night-vision goggles or something. On the side of it, though, was a name that said "Silph Scope" with the Silph Company's logo on it as well.

"Red," I yelled, surprising him a little. "This is it! This thing is the Silph Scope that we need!"

"We should get out of here," said Red, looking at the doorway. "Rocket Grunts might show up any time now."

"Okay, let's go," I said, putting away the Silph Scope in my bag. "Onward to… Um, where do we have to go next?"

"Back to Lavender Town."

"Shit."

We ran out of the room, heading for the elevator. I pushed the button for the top floor, and we waited as the elevator began to move. When the elevator reached the designated floor, we dashed through the halls until we saw the staircase that leads up to the Game Corner. We ran up the stairs and stopped when we reached the top, regaining our breaths from all that running. That sure was tiring. Red walked over to the poster on the wall, and pushed the button underneath it. The floor shifted under me, making me jump off in surprise, and closed up the staircase.

I guess it's to keep the citizens here from knowing about the secret Rocket headquarters underneath the Game Corner. Red and I walked out of the building into the bright midday sun outside. Red took off his backpack, reaching in and taking out his bike.

"We should head over to Lavender Town now," he said, getting on his bike.

"Do we have to go back to Pokémon Tower," I asked, feeling a little apprehensive about the whole thing.

He didn't answer, but looked over at the road leading out of Celadon. I could tell that meant "yes," he just didn't want to scare me. I sighed and took out my bike out of my bag. I got on, and we rode our bikes to the Underground Path in Route 7. We made our way through the path until we reached Route 8. We rode our bikes the rest of the way to Lavender Town, getting there in a few minutes. Before heading to Pokémon Tower, we stopped by the Pokémon Center first to heal up our Pokémon. As we walked to the looming tower, I could feel my legs get heavier with each step.

I stayed close to Red as we entered the tower. I felt sick to my stomach, but I still followed Red, walking up the stairs to the second floor. We made our way through the path of graves, and I couldn't help but remember when Blue and I were waiting here for Red. At the end of the path, another priestess stood by a staircase.

"Even we could not identify the wayward ghosts," said the priestess when we walked by. "A Silph Scope might be able to unmask them."

At that, I reached into my bag and took out the Silph Scope. My hands were shaking a lot, making it difficult for me to have a good grip on the device. Red took it out of my hands, a look of worry in his eyes.

"Do you want to wait outside," he asked me, concern obvious in his voice. "You're shaking like a leaf."

"That was lame," I said, my eyes looking to the side. "And, no, I'm going with you. I'm not staying here by myself again."

To prove that I wasn't going to run away, I walked ahead of him, going up the stairs to the upper level. The third level was definitely different from the second one. It was strangely foggy, making it difficult to see. Red showed up beside me, handing back the Silph Scope.

"We'll split up," I said, doing my best to sound brave. "That way we can find the way out sooner."

"I don't think we should do that," said Red, staring at me. "It would be best if we stay together."

"I want to do this on my own," I retorted, giving him a stern look. "I don't need you to hold my hand through everything! I already told you that I'm not a kid!"

Red remained silent, but then nodded, walking down a path of tombstones. When he disappeared into the fog, I already began to somewhat regret what I said. I was trying to be brave and face my fear, but I'm not sure if that was a wise idea. "Heh, you're still afraid of ghosts and all that? That's so childish," I heard Blue's voice say in my mind. I balled my right hand into a fist. I may be scared out of my mind, but there was something I had to do. And that something was to prove Blue wrong. For a long time, he's been better at me at almost everything, but that all changed when I won my first Pokémon battle against him. Now, I'm going to prove him wrong that I'm the better trainer and that I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore. I can do this!

Or not. I looked around the graves, wary of any ghosts that might be around. I grabbed Breeze's pokéball and tossed it, releasing the Pidgeotto. The bird Pokémon looked up at me curiously, and then checked its surroundings.

"Breeze, you'll stay by my side no matter what, right," I asked, the bird Pokémon staring at me with such seriousness that it could rival Red. Breeze chirped, flying to my side to reassure me that he won't leave. I sighed in relief, and petted his head. Knowing that my Pokémon will protect me gave me the confidence I needed to get through this.

"All right, Breeze! Let's do this thing," I said, walking up a different path than what Red took. The fog was a little thick, but I think I saw a person not too far away. As I got closer, I saw that it was another priestess. Maybe she can show me the way out.

"Hey, excuse me," I called out, walking up to her. "But do you—"

She suddenly groaned at me, staring at me with a really creepy stare. She began to groan some more, sounding a lot like a zombie. I almost screamed but I bit my tongue, taking a couple steps back while she tossed a pokéball that released a strange Pokémon. It had a round black body—or was it its head?—with a foggy purple gas around it.

"Breeze, use Wing Attack on it," I said, watching as Breeze performed the attack on the foggy Pokémon. It fainted from the attack, which caused the priestess to gasp.

"Oh! I'm saved," she said, returning her Pokémon to its pokéball.

"What the hell," I asked, freaked out at what just happened. "Did that Pokémon possess you or something?"

"That was my Gastly," she replied with a smile. "The ghosts can be identified by the Silph Scope."

"But, you didn't… Never mind! I'd rather not know," I said, walking back the way I came from. I quickly went down the path I saw Red take, Breeze flying behind me. That's when I saw another priestess, who also saw me.

"Be gone! Malevolent spirit," she yelled at me, sending out a Gastly.

Breeze flew in and used Wing Attack on the Ghost-type Pokémon, quickly making it faint.

"Whew, the spirit left," said the priestess, calling back her faint Pokémon. "But I think the others above have been possessed."

My hair was standing on end when I heard that, and I walked away as fast as I could. But that caused me to run into another priestess. This one ran up to me, laughing as she did so. When she had approached me, she suddenly screamed, making me jump in fear. She also had a Gastly, which didn't stand a chance against Breeze's Wing Attack. There was a strange look on the priestess' face, as if something had just occurred to her.

"What am I doing," she asked, looking around. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock, and she grabbed me by the arms.

"I'm so sorry," she said, close to yelling. "I was possessed! I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"N-No," I replied in a low tone.

"Really? Because I can see that you're trembling."

"I'm fine," I said, pulling away from her. Holy crap, people really are possessed here! I rushed my way through the path of tombstones, finally reaching the staircase there. Red was also there, looking through his Pokédex.

"There you are," he said as I walked up to him. "I was going to go find you. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking down. "Let's keep going."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Really, why is he so worried about me? I mean, I'm scared but I want to keep going. Wasn't it obvious that I wasn't turning back? I went up the stairs, Red following me, to the next floor. I had Breeze go back to his pokéball and had Static follow me around through here. Red and I split up again, he headed down the left path and I went up the right path. I saw something lying on the floor nearby. I figured it might be useful and walked over to pick it up. However, a priestess appeared out of the fog, her sudden appearance scaring me.

"Be cursed with me," she said in a low voice, grabbing my arm. I quickly yanked my hand away, Static glaring at the woman while his cheeks began to spark up. The priestess brought out a pokéball, which contained a Gastly. Static used Thunderbolt on Gastly, causing it to faint. The priestess sent out another Gastly, her blank stare really creeping me out. And why do these priestesses all have Gastly? Why can't they have something else? Static used another Thunderbolt, ending the battle quickly against the Gastly.

"What," said the priestess, her eyes looking a little dazed. "We can't determine the identity of the ghosts."

Okay, I think she has lost her mind. I slowly backed away and went for the item I saw. It turned out it was just an Elixir. I continued on through the maze-like graveyard, picking up a few items that happened to be lying around. Of course, it was only a matter of time before I ran into another lunatic—er, priestess.

"Beat me not," she said, running up to me and sending out a typical Gastly.

She needs to work on her grammar. I had Static used Thunderbolt, fainting Gastly and bringing the battle to an end.

"Huh? Who? What," stammered the priestess, looking absolutely confused.

"When? Where? Why," I said, going along with what she was saying. "You're okay now, right?"

"May the departed Pokémon rest in peace."

Typical that she'd say something completely irrelevant. Static jumped up into my arms, obvious that he would much rather be carried than be walking around. I held him as I walked away from the priestess. I have to admit I'm doing pretty well. I felt sick to my stomach, but other than that, I felt all right.

"Ghost! No," yelled another priestess, jumping from behind a tombstone. I screamed because I was definitely not expecting that. Static gave me a light shock, unpleased that I screamed near his ears. She threw a pokéball, a Gastly appearing from it. Static jumped out of my hands and gave Gastly a Thunderbolt. The ghost Pokémon fainted from the attack.

"Where is the ghost," she asked, her eyes darting around all over the place. "I must have been dreaming."

I heard footsteps heading towards us. I squinted my eyes to see through the fog, making out a silhouette. The silhouette was none other than Red.

"Leaf, I heard you scream, but… You're all right," he asked me.

"Yep," I said, giving him a thumbs-up. "See? I told you I'd be okay!"

I returned Static to his pokéball, and released Flare from his.

"So it didn't evolve yet," said Red, staring at Flare.

"No, he didn't. But that's okay! He's perfect the way he is."

Red nodded, and went up a nearby staircase. I followed him, with Flare following me, up to the next floor. It was another floor with more tombstones and thick fog. This wouldn't be so scary if the damn fog wasn't here. And how the heck can there be fog _inside_ a building? A gravesite just wasn't enough for this tower so it needed to have a fog to make it difficult to see. This freaking sucks. There was only one through path so Red and I stayed together as we made our way through the maze.

"You shall join us," said a voice, giving me goose bumps. Another priestess walked in front of us, apparently hiding by the tombstones. Red sent out his Gyarados while the priestess sent out yet another Gastly. The Gastly didn't last very long due to Gyarados' Bite.

"What a nightmare," gasped the priestess. "I was possessed."

No shit! I quickly walked by, leaving Red to catch up to me. I walked until I saw another priestess standing on a weird glowing pattern on the floor.

"Come, child," she said, beckoning with her hands. "I have purified this space. You can rest here."

I was a little wary at first, but I figured what the hell. What could possibly happen? Flare stuck close to me as I walked onto the weird pattern. I didn't feel anything, but Flare looked really relaxed. I noticed a rectangular piece of paper in the middle of the pattern. I picked it up and examined it. It had a strange pattern too. Well, no one is going to use this, right? I'll just keep it for now. I put the tag in my bag, seeing Red walk into the pattern.

"Hey, Red," I began, getting his attention. "What are we doing here? I mean, I just realized I came into this tower without thinking _why_ I have to be here."

"Team Rocket is somewhere in this tower," replied Red, giving me a serious stare. "Don't you remember?"

That was when I remembered the conversation I overheard in the Pokémon Center. Team Rocket had killed a Marowak who was trying to escape from them.

"Those bastards," I said, balling my hands into fists. "How can they kill a Pokémon? They really are horrible."

"You're doing surprisingly well for someone who's afraid of ghosts and the like."

"D-Don't remind me!"

My body started to shake, realizing that it was indeed in the middle of a graveyard. By psyching myself up, I was able to forget where I was, focusing entirely on my goal. But Red had to go and make me aware of the fact that this tower was a burial place for dead Pokémon. Flare growled at Red, not very content that he had upset me.

"I-It's okay," I said, trying to make my voice sound strong. "I'm not going to let this little fear get in the way of what I have to do."

Red just smiled while Flare growled loudly, more than ready to take on any opponents. I walked out of the glowing marking on the floor and went straight to a nearby priestess to show my resolve. Even though I was terrified out of my mind.

"Zombies," yelled the possessed priestess.

"Where," I screamed, panic already setting in. She suddenly tossed out a pokéball, sending out a Gastly. Damn it, I'm getting really sick of these priestesses having the same Pokémon.

"Go, Flare," I said, pointing at the ghost Pokémon. "Use Flamethrower!"

Flare looked back at me, smirking a little before using the fire attack on Gastly. The Ghost-type Pokémon fainted from the attack, causing the priestess to gasp.

"I regained my senses," she said, sounding quite pleased.

"You're welcome," I said, walking away. I saw Red battling another priestess with his Gyarados. The Gastly that belonged to the priestess didn't stand a chance against the large water Pokémon.

"I fell to evil spirits despite my training in the mountains," said the priestess, a disappointed look on her face.

"Let's go, Red," I said, grabbing his arm and leading him down the path. "The stairs to the next floor should be around here."

I spotted yet another priestess by the stairs, a blank look on her face. I guess it's time to use my exorcism powers, not that I have any. But they seem to get better after I battle them, which is kind of weird. I walked up to her, prepared for any freaky sayings she'll probably say.

"Give me your all," was all she said before sending out a different ghost Pokémon than the usual Gastly I've been seeing. It was pretty big and purple with floating claw-like hands. I had Flare use Flamethrower, which surprisingly brought down the Ghost-type Pokémon. I thought it would be tougher than that.

"I was under possession," commented the priestess, a shocked tone in her voice. I walked away, and Red and I went up the stairs to the next floor. A priestess immediately saw us, running straight for us with a panicked look on her face.

"Give me blood," she screamed, making me scream too. Red sent out his Gyarados while the she sent a Gastly. Gyarados' Bite brought down the Gastly quickly. The priestess sent out another Gastly, which also fell to Bite. She then sent out a third Gastly—seriously, why do they all have Gastly? It's really repetitive!—and Gyarados brought that one down too.

The priestess brought a hand to her forehead and said, "I feel anemic and weak."

We moved on until we heard what sounded like maniacal laughter. It made a chill run down my spine. A priestess appeared out of the fog, sending out a typical Gastly to battle us. I sent Flare out and had him use Flamethrower. With her Pokémon fainted, the priestess had a confused look on her face.

"What's going on here," she asked us.

"Um, you were possessed, but you're okay now," I replied, unsure whether to give her more information.

"So, that's what possession feels like."

Red and I continued on. I figured Flare needed some rest so I had him return to his pokéball. I felt okay for now, and I have Red to keep me company. A priestess suddenly jumped in front of us, tossing a pokéball that contained Gastly. Red sent out Fearow this time, having the large bird use Pursuit on Gastly. Gastly fainted from the attack, making the last—I think she's the last—priestess to be free from possession.

"Something fell out," she said, calling back her Pokémon. "My hair didn't fall out! It was a malevolent spirit!"

We slowly backed away and made our way through the path. We eventually found the staircase to the upper level, which made me wonder how many floors this place has.

"Be gone, intruders," I heard a voice say, making my hair stand.

"Red, did you hear that," I asked him, feeling a little nervous. Before Red could respond, a hazy purple gas appeared before us. It had large, glowing yellow eyes, and it didn't look too happy to see us. I reached in my bag and pulled out the Silph Scope, peering into it to look at the ghost. I gasped at what I saw. It was a Marowak. Was this the spirit of the Marowak the Rockets killed? Had this happened before I knew anything of what Team Rocket did, I would have run away, screaming my lungs out. But… In order to get rid of Team Rocket, I had to prove to this Marowak ghost that I wasn't on their side. That and it also felt like the ultimate test to get over my fear.

I reached for Terra's pokéball, and sent her out. Terra used Magnitude, but it was weaker than usual and it didn't harm Marowak much. Marowak, on the other hand, began to focus intently. I had Terra use Magnitude again, further weakening Marowak. The ghost then used Leer, lowering Terra's defense. Terra then dug a hole, leaving the ghost alone. She then appeared again, striking Marowak with Dig. Marowak used Leer again, lowering Terra's defense more. Terra used another Magnitude, defeating the ghost Marowak.

The ghost Marowak pulled away, but she seemed calmer now than before. It stared at me intently, and then closed its eyes, slowly fading away. I sank to the floor, pulling the Silph Scope off my face with trembling hands. That look in her eyes was telling me one thing and one thing only.

"Leaf, are you all right," asked Red, kneeling beside me. I chuckled a little out of nervousness.

"Even after that, I'm still afraid of ghosts," I said with slight disappointment. "But I'm not going to fail Marowak. She told me to get rid of Team Rocket from here, and that's what I'm going to do."

Red nodded and helped me to stand up, which was a little difficult because my legs felt like noodles. Once I was sure I could stand on my own, we went up the stairs. This floor was a little different from the last floors we went through. This one had golden tombstones, which looked pretty nice despite being creepy. I peered through the fog, and saw some dark silhouettes.

"Red, if it's Team Rocket, I'll take on the first one so you can get through," I said, grabbing Terra's pokéball. I walked up to the first silhouette, which turned out to be a Rocket Grunt.

"What do you want," he asked harshly. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to kick your ass," I said, tossing Terra's pokéball.

The grunt growled and then sent out a Zubat. Terra used Rockslide on Zubat, making the Pokémon faint. I then called back Terra and sent out Static. The grunt sent out another Zubat, which was going to make things pretty easy for me. I had Static use Thunderbolt, which quickly took out Zubat. The grunt then sent out a large blue bat Pokémon. It looked vaguely like Zubat. Maybe it was its evolution? Well, it's most definitely a Flying-type so…

"Static, use Thunderbolt," I told my Pikachu, who quickly performed the attack. Golbat took the full force of the attack, fainting from it.

"I give up," said the grunt, calling back his faint Golbat. "I'm not going to forget this!"

He walked away, going down the stairs nearby. I looked forward, seeing Red battle another grunt's Drowzee with Gyarados. Knowing Red and his team, Drowzee won't hold on his own for long. And I was right.

"Enough," said the grunt, looking quite furious. "Pokémon are only good for making money. Why not use them? You stay out of our business!"

He then returned Drowzee to its pokéball, leaving the area. I moved on to challenge the last grunt there. That's when I saw an old man there, looking a little worried at what was going on. Holy shit, Team Rocket held him hostage this whole time? Guess this means it's up to me and Red to save him.

"You're not saving anyone, kid," yelled the last grunt, running at me with a pokéball in his hand.

"You can read my mind," I asked in surprise as he sent out a Zubat.

I quickly sent out Terra to battle against the Zubat. Rockslide was more than enough to defeat Zubat. I called back Terra and sent out Static while the grunt sent out another Zubat. Thunderbolt brought it down quickly. The grunt, who looked a little frustrated, sent out a Rattata. I had Static use another Thunderbolt, making the opposing Pokémon faint from the blow. I returned Static to his pokéball and tossed Breeze's pokéball while the grunt sent out a Raticate. Breeze attacked with Wing Attack, which Raticate endured through. It then countered with Hyper Fang, hurting Breeze a bit. Breeze then used Quick Attack to finish off Raticate, ending the battle.

"Don't fight us Rockets," said the grunt, returning Raticate to its pokéball. "You're not getting away with this!"

The grunt ran off, disappearing into the fog. I looked back at the old man, who seemed relieved now. He was wearing a white shirt and dark brown pants with a pale yellow apron over it. Red and I walked up to him to see if he really was okay.

"You came to save me," asked the old man, looking at us happily.

"Um," I began, but was unable to finish. I mean, I only came here to get Team Rocket out with Red. I had no idea that this guy was taken hostage.

"Thank you," continued the old man. "But, I came here of my own free will. I came to calm the spirit of Cubone's mother. I think Marowak's spirit has finally left us."

"Oh, I did that," I said, feeling proud of myself. "But, who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Mr. Fuji," he replied with a smile. "I must thank you for your kind concern. Follow me to my home, Pokémon House, at the foot of this tower."

He began to head for the stairs, Red and I following him. We went through all the floors again until we made it outside. I was exhausted, but neither Red nor Mr. Fuji was showing any signs of breaking a sweat. How do they do that?

"Here we are," said Mr. Fuji, standing in front of the Volunteer House. "Please make yourselves at home."

He walked in, holding the door open for me and Red. The kids that were there looked happy to see Mr. Fuji. Even the Pokémon were happy.

"Ah, you haven't given me your names," said Mr. Fuji, standing by the table.

"Oh, I'm Leaf," I said, and then pointed at Red. "And that's Red."

"Okay, Leaf, Red. Do you have Pokédexes?"

"Yeah, we do. Professor Oak gave us each one when we first started our adventure."

"Your Pokédex quest is one that requires strong dedication. Without deep love for Pokémon, your quest may fail."

"Well, I really care about my Pokémon. They're my friends, after all."

Mr. Fuji smiled, and then reached into his apron pocket.

"I'm not sure if this will help you, but I'd like you both to have it."

He handed us these flutes with what looked like pokéballs on it at the ends.

"Upon hearing the PokéFlute, sleeping Pokémon will spring awake. Try using it on Pokémon that are sleeping obstacles."

"Sleeping Pokémon? Why does that ring a bell," I asked out loud, trying to remember where I heard that before.

"The sleeping Pokémon blocking Route 12," replied Red, putting away his PokéFlute in his backpack.

"Oh, right! Now I remember," I said, also putting my PokéFlute in my bag. "Thanks, Mr. Fuji, for the PokéFlutes!"

Red and I walked out of the house, and went to the Pokémon Center. We sat by a table while we waited for our Pokémon to heal.

"So, what do we do now," I asked Red.

"I heard there was another sleeping Pokémon by Celadon City," he said, staring at the table. I looked through my bag and pulled out the Town Map. I opened it, looking for Route 12 and Celadon City.

"Well, if it doesn't bother you, we can split up," I said, pointing at the map. "I can go down Route 12, and you can go to Celadon City. Then we can go around and meet up again in Fuchsia City."

"All right, but will you be okay on your own?"

"Hey, I just went through my worst nightmare in that damn tower! Of course I'll be okay!"

"I was just making sure."

I know that he's trying to keep me safe because he promised my mom he'd watch out for me, but his constant worrying is a little too much. Now there was something else I had to do. Right next to proving Blue that I'm the better trainer was proving Red that I can take care of myself.

* * *

**_A/N: Okay, I know that pretty much everyone who reviewed asked for romance. The thing is... It's a little difficult to write it when the main character is oblivious. However, I know how I can make it work. Well, I'm glad that I got to hear Lavender Town music again. I wish those Channelers said creepier stuff though. It would have made the chapter more fun. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing my story! I'm really happy that you are all enjoying the story so far._**


	15. Rendezvous at Fuchsia City

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

"Okay, Red," I began as we walked out of the Pokémon Center. "I'll see you in Fuchsia City!"

"All right, take care of yourself," he said, taking out his bicycle.

"Yes, yes. I heard you a million times already."

I watched as he rode away to Route 8, towards Celadon City. I then reached into my bag to take out my own bicycle. I got on it, looking up at Pokémon Tower. The worst part has been done and over with. I can finally move on to a new area. I began to pedal, heading to the docks of Route 12 and leaving behind Lavender Town. The salty breeze blew by, making me remember home. I think I'm getting a little homesick. I'd like to go back to Pallet Town to see my mom and tell her how I'm doing.

I rode down the docks until I reached an indoor gate. The security guard there looked at me briefly and then looked away. Guess I'm not very suspicious looking. I noticed a set of stairs nearby and rode up to it, leaving my bike by the wall while I went upstairs. There wasn't anyone there except for a girl in a blue dress carrying a purse. She had a red bow in her hair, and looked to be about ten or so. She seemed sad about something, looking down at the table she was sitting at.

"Hey, are you okay," I asked, walking to the table she was sitting at.

"My Pokémon's ashes are buried in Pokémon Tower," she said in a low voice. She opened her purse and took out a cd case, an obvious TM.

"You can have this TM," she told me, handing me the TM. "I don't need it anymore."

I accepted the TM, putting it away in my TM Case with all the others.

"That TM is a move called Return," she explained, a small smile on her lips. "If you treat your Pokémon good, it will return your love by working its hardest in battle."

I nodded and walked away, heading back downstairs. That was rather depressing. I can't imagine how it must feel to lose a Pokémon. Once I was downstairs, I grabbed my bike and rode out. I was back on the docks, listening to the soothing sound of the waves. I saw a Fisherman, who was tugging on his fishing rod like crazy. He looked over his shoulder, noticed me, and quickly reeled in the Pokémon.

"Yeah," he yelled, taking out a pokéball. "I got a bite here!"

He tossed the pokéball, making me hit the brakes on my bike pretty hard so I wouldn't run over whatever Pokémon that came out. It was a Goldeen so I sent out Static to battle it. Static easily defeated it with a Thunderbolt, electrocuting the fish Pokémon. The Fisherman then sent out a blue, round Pokémon with a long tail and a swirling pattern on its stomach. I figured it was also a Water-type so I had Static use another Thunderbolt. With Poliwag also fainted, the Fisherman sent out his last a Pokémon, which was another Goldeen. It, too, was defeated like its earlier partners.

"Tch, just a small fry," said the Fisherman, returning Goldeen to its pokéball. He then noticed that there was another bite on his fishing rod and quickly began to reel in another Pokémon. I looked down at Static, who just shrugged and jumped on my back.

"You want to enjoy the bike ride, too," I asked my Pikachu, who just rubbed its cheek against mine.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said with a smile as I began to pedal. We rode down the docks until another Fisherman saw and challenged us. Though, it was kind of weird how he challenged us because he said a tip about fishing. This guy started the battle with a blue Pokémon with long tentacles. I think it was called a Tentacool because I remember hearing about swarms of these things that caused beaches to close down. Well, it didn't last long against Static since it was part Water-type. The Fisherman then sent out a Goldeen, who also succumbed to Static's Thunderbolt.

After the Fisherman paid me my winning money, I continued my ride through the docks. Static really seemed to enjoy it. It would have been nice if Red was here, too, with his Pikachu. It also made me wonder if Static would like Pallet Town since it's also by the sea.

"The Fishing Fool versus Pokémon Kid," yelled someone, bringing me back to reality.

I hit the brakes on my bike, and saw another Fisherman running towards me. He tossed a pokéball that released a Goldeen while Static jumped off my back to fight. He immediately used Thunderbolt, fainting Goldeen with only that attack.

"I guess you get to be good at what you like," said the Fisherman, calling back Goldeen. "Well, you beat me at Pokémon, but you can't top me at fishing."

"Um, okay," I said, waiting for Static to jump on my back so we can continue riding. We rode a couple of feet until another Fisherman challenged us. Jeez, can't they let us enjoy a nice calming bike ride? I heard Static growl, showing that he was also annoyed by these interruptions. This Fisherman was complaining about not having a job or something. I was too annoyed to care about whatever he said. The Fisherman sent out a Poliwag, but it was quickly defeated by Static. The next Pokémon was in a purple shell, sticking its tongue out. I think it was called Shellder so I had Static use Thunderbolt to defeat it..

The Fisherman sent out a typical Goldeen, and that was quickly brought down. I'm starting to wonder if anyone can give me a good battle now. Probably the Pokémon gyms, but that's the best I can think of. Oh, and Blue, I guess. I don't want to give that guy too much credit as a trainer. The Fisherman's final Pokémon was a Horsea, and Static used Thunderbolt to end the battle. The Fisherman frowned, walking up to me while he began to take out some money.

"It's all right," he said with a shrug. "Losing doesn't bug me anymore."

That was a little weird since I obviously didn't ask if he was all right or not. Static jumped on my back and we rode off, following the path of the docks. I traveled for a short distance when I saw a couple standing at the edge of a dock, staring off into the horizon. The man was wearing a white shirt with blue pants while the woman was wearing a red sun dress. The guy heard the sound of my bike against the wood of the dock, and he looked over his shoulder at me.

"Look, Gia," said the man. "A trainer! Do you want to challenge her?"

"Oh, that would be so much fun," said the woman with a smile.

"I'll take you both on," I said, grabbing Breeze and Terra's pokéballs.

"Okay," said the guy, looking pretty content. "If I win, I'm going to propose to Gia!"

"Wait, what?"

They each tossed a pokéball, releasing a Nidoran and Nidoran . I threw my own pokéballs, sending out my Pidgeotto and Dugtrio. I had Terra use Magnitude to attack both the Poison-type Pokémon without harming Breeze. I felt a little bad because my victory would mean that the guy won't propose to his girlfriend. Then again, it's kind of stupid to wager something as serious as marriage on a Pokémon battle. Both opposing Pokémon fainted, and I returned my own Pokémon back to their respective pokéballs.

"Oh, please, why couldn't you let us win," asked the guy, looking very disappointed.

"Jes, you silly," said Gia, playfully punching him in the arm. "You ruined this!"

"Gia, forgive me, my love!"

"Of course, I do! It's just a Pokémon battle. I can't be mad at you forever."

They started hugging and kissing, making me feel pretty awkward to be there. I pedaled away, not comfortable being a third wheel with those two. That's when I saw it. The large sleeping Pokémon I saw a few days ago was lying on the dock not too far away. Static looked over my shoulder to see the sleeping Pokémon. I turned around and rode back to Lavender Town as fast as I could. I could have woken up the Pokémon with my PokéFlute but I'm not sure it will be happy to be awoken from its slumber. It was best to heal my Pokémon first before doing anything.

Static looked happy to feel the salty air blow through his fur. Well, looks like we finally have our relaxing bike ride… If you consider rushing to a Pokémon Center as relaxing. When we reached Lavender Town, I jumped off my bike, causing it to crash into the wall of the Pokémon Center. I ran inside and handed the nurse my Pokémon, making Static reluctantly go back in his pokéball. I waited impatiently as the nurse healed my Pokémon.

"You're Pokémon are all healed," she said calmly, placing a tray with my pokéballs on the counter.

"Good! Thanks," I said, hastily grabbing the pokéballs and clipping them to my belt. I ran out of the Pokémon Center and grabbed my bike that was lying on the floor. I jumped on the seat and pedaled as fast as I could. I was careful when I reached the docks because I didn't want to make a sharp turn and fall off my bike, falling into the ocean. As I maneuvered through the docks, going at a moderate speed to prevent the "falling into the ocean" scenario, I began to wonder what kind of type is the sleeping Pokémon. Whatever it is, it's probably rare so I should try to catch it. I braked to a stop when I neared the Pokémon, reaching into my bag for the PokéFlute.

"All right, you," I said, bringing the flute to my lips. "Time to rise and shine!"

I blew into the flute, making a calm sound. The sleeping Pokémon didn't stir, but continued sleeping. I played the flute again, this time putting my fingers over the air holes to make random notes. Nothing happened.

"Shit, how do I use this thing," I asked myself, staring at the flute.

I'm starting to regret not taking any music classes in school. I played a couple more notes but it didn't affect the Pokémon. I tried again, but still nothing.

"Aw, screw this," I said, taking in a deep breath of air. I then blew into the flute with all the air in my lungs, a loud note sounding out. The ears of the Pokémon twitched, and it slowly began to move. It actually stood up, which I found amazing since it looks pretty fat. It looked like it was looking for something, and it began to take small steps to turn around. When it stood face-to-face with me, I realized that I really pissed it off. It growled loudly, furious that it was awoken from its nap. I quickly grabbed Static's pokéball and let him out to fight against this Pokémon.

"Use Thunder Wave," I said as the large Pokémon began to take a step towards us. Static nodded and let out a weak electric shock, causing the Pokémon to collapse from paralysis. I dug into my bag and pulled out my Pokédex to find out what this thing was. I quickly skimmed through the pages of Pokémon information, eventually finding the one I was looking for.

"So, you're a Snorlax," I said, looking up at the large Pokémon. I switched my Pokémon, sending out Terra. I had Terra use Magnitude, which weakened Snorlax. Snorlax yawned loudly, making Terra rather drowsy. Terra used another Magnitude, greatly weakening Snorlax. I reached into my bag and grabbed a Great Ball, throwing it at the Snorlax. It was drawn into the ball, but it immediately burst out of the ball. Snorlax retaliated with a Headbutt, weakening Terra, who had fallen asleep thanks to Snorlax's Yawn. I threw another Great Ball at Snorlax, who was drawn into the ball. The ball began to shake back and forth to my amazement. I figured he would break out of the pokéball again. It shook for a third time, and I was already preparing for Snorlax to come back out. However, a clicking sound came from the ball, confirming that the Pokémon was caught.

"No freaking way," I said in surprise, returning Terra to her pokéball. I rode my bike to where the Great Ball was, picking it up. Looks like this guy is mine now. I clipped the pokéball to my belt. I'll hang on to him until I reach a PC.

"Would you like to nickname the newly caught Snorlax," asked my Pokédex from my bag.

"No."

"A wise choice from one so dull."

Stupid Pokédex… I hope Professor Oak can change it or something. I looked down to the right, gazing at the familiar road. Oh, that's right! One of Oak's aides is there. I pulled out my Pokédex, checking how many Pokémon I've caught so far. I had exactly 30. I rode my bike to Route 11, entering the gate that was there. I left my bike by the stairs inside, and ran up the staircase. I looked around the top floor, spotting the aide sitting by a table, playing a game of cards.

"Hey, you," I yelled, catching him by surprise. "I finally caught 30 kinds of Pokémon!"

I walked up to him, handing him my Pokédex for him to see for himself.

"Oh, you did it," he said with a smile. "Congratulations! Here you go!"

He pulled out a box that was under the table, setting it on the table. He opened it and took out a strange device. Was that a metal-detector? He handed it to me, which I put away in my bag.

"There are items on the ground that may be hidden from view," he explained, putting away the box. "Use the ItemFinder to detect any hidden items close to you. The machine is a bit limited. It can't pinpoint item locations. What it does is show the direction where the item is. Use it to get your bearings, then search the suspect area by hand."

"Awesome! I've always wanted to go treasure hunting!"

"By the way, where's Red? You two were together last time I saw you."

"We're going to meet up in Fuchsia City," I explained. "But, I'll let him know about this so don't leave until he gets his own ItemFinder."

"Great… I have to wait even longer now," he said with a sigh.

I chuckled and walked away, heading for the staircase. I got back on my bike and rode to Vermilion City. I had to heal up my Pokémon after that tough battle with Snorlax. I rode through Route 11, remembering the time I spent here training Terra after I had caught her and when Breeze evolved from a Pidgey. I sighed as I arrived in Vermilion City. I rode up to the Pokémon Center, leaving my bike outside. I handed the nurse my Pokémon, and waited patiently for them to be healed. When that was done, I put Snorlax into the PC nearby. I wonder if Red caught that Snorlax near Celadon City…

I turned off the PC and went outside. I jumped on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could out of Vermilion City. There was still a long way to go to Fuchsia City. I rode through Route 11, passing by Diglett's Cave, to the gate at the end. I had to slow down a little when I was inside the gate. I reached Route 12, passing by the same spot where Snorlax had been sleeping. I went south, seeing a small house nearby. Who lives there?

I slowed down on my bike, standing in front of the door, and knocked on it. I waited for a few seconds until the door opened. A man wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and a red and white hat stood before me. He looked somehow familiar.

As if reading my mind, he said, "I'm the Fishing Guru's younger brother."

"You mean that guy in Vermillion City," I asked, remembering the man who gave me that Old Rod. I tried it out but all I caught were just Magikarp.

"That's him," he said excitedly. "I simply love fishing! I can't bear to go without. Tell me, do you like to fish?"

"Um, yeah. It's okay, I guess."

"Grand! I like your style. I think we can be friends. Take this and fish, young friend!"

He went inside, and I could hear a lot of noise in there as if he was desperately looking for something. He then appeared by the doorway again, holding a fishing rod in his hand. He handed me the fishing rod, which was a very nice looking one. I think that it might be worth hundreds of dollars. On the handle, the words "Super Rod" were written on it.

"Fishing is a way of life," he said, smiling. "It is like the finest poetry. From the seas to rivers, go out and land a big one, my friend."

"Okay," I said, realizing that he was saying the exact same thing as his brother.

"Now, I have a request," he added, getting my attention. "If you catch a big Magikarp with that rod, I want to see it. As much as I love to fish, I also love seeing gigantic Magikarp."

"All right. If I catch any, I'll come here and show you."

"Thank you! I take it that you must go on your way?"

"Yep, thanks for the fishing rod!"

I began to pedal away but I ended up being spotted by some guy holding electric cables.

"Electricity is my specialty," he said, looking proud. "I don't know a thing about Pokémon of the sea, though."

He sent out a Voltorb, while I sent out Terra. I had Terra use Magnitude, which easily took out Voltorb. The guy then sent out an Electrode, an obvious evolution of Voltorb. Evolved or not, it's not going to stand a chance against Magnitude. That ended the battle, much to the guy's disappointment.

"As a head's up, water conducts electricity," he said, paying me my reward money. "So you should zap sea Pokémon."

I nodded, even though I already knew about that. I rode through the docks, battling against whoever challenged me. I eventually made it to Route 13, finally reaching the end of the docks. This route was a little strange because of all the fences there. Not just that but it also looked maze-like. What good does putting a maze here serve? I got off my bike, put it away, and walked through the maze, battling the trainers who were probably there to slow me down. During my battle against a Bird Keeper, who had only Spearow and Pidgey, I noticed something odd about Flare, who was the one battling against them.

There seemed to be something bothering him. When the battle was over and after the Bird Keeper paid me, a glowing white light appeared on Flare's body. His shape began to change, becoming larger. The light proved a little too strong for me so I looked away momentarily. When I heard a roar, I immediately looked up. Right where Flare stood was a large orange Pokémon with wings. It had two horns on its head and the all-too-familiar flame at the end of its tail.

"Congratulations," said my monotonous Pokédex. "Your Charmeleon evolved into Charizard."

"Holy shit," I said, looking at Flare's new form. He was a couple of inches taller than me but there was something about him that felt intimidating. However, I knew that he was still Flare.

"Wait until Red sees how much you've grown," I said, smiling up at Flare. He only grunted, but took a few steps towards me. I looked up at him, a little confused on what he was doing. He suddenly bit the brim of my hat, lifting it off my head.

"Ah! My hat," I yelled, reaching up for my hat. Flare, however, was taking advantage of his taller body, keeping his head up high. I tried jumping for it, but it seemed to make the large fire Pokémon chuckle, though it came out as low growls. Why are my Pokémon so obsessed with my hat?

"Come on, Flare! I want my hat back," I said, jumping one more time. He then lowered his head, gently placing the hat on my head. He then moved his head so that it was close to my face. He stared at me, his blue eyes seeming to ask for something. I petted him, but that changed into a hug.

"We've come a long way, Flare. I remember when I first met you as a Charmander in Pallet Town," I said, thinking back to the day when this adventure began.

He let out a low growl, and I looked him in the eye.

"Something tells me that we're going to go a lot farther than this. We'll be together all the way to the end, right?"

Flare roared, his way of saying "yes." I smiled and returned him to his pokéball. I still had to find my way out of this freaking fence maze thing. I battled a few more trainers in the maze. I was challenged by another Bird Keeper, who had sent out a Pidgey. I figured that this would be a good time for Breeze to get some experience. Breeze battled against the Bird Keeper's Pidgey and his Doduo, which was a brown two-headed wingless bird Pokémon. Doduo actually was close to defeating Breeze, but Breeze managed to pull through and defeat the opposing Pokémon with Quick Attack. I switched Breeze out and sent in Static to deal with Pidgeotto, the Bird Keeper's last Pokémon. Thunderbolt was all that was needed to defeat it.

After the battle was over, I felt Breeze's pokéball moving around on my belt. I unclipped it and released Breeze out of his pokéball to see what was going on with him. He was flapping his wings quite a bit, as if he was warming up for a long flight. His body began to glow with a familiar white light, and I knew what was about to happen. I watched as Breeze's form began to change into something much larger, a lot like how Flare evolved. When the light disappeared, Breeze was a lot bigger than before. He was still shorter than me but pretty big for a bird Pokémon. His crest of feathers had grown very long, now with red and yellow feathers. His tail feathers had changed into a plain red color.

"Congratulations," said my Pokédex from my bag. "Your Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot."

"Wow, two evolutions in one day! Am I lucky or what," I said excitedly, walking up to Breeze.

Breeze responded by taking my hat into his beak.

"You, too," I asked, putting my hands on my hips. He dropped my hat on the ground, stood over it, and sat on it, nestling into it. However, he looked down, realizing that he was too big for my hat. He picked it up, holding it in his beak. I took my hat from him and I began to dust it off. I smiled at him, remembering when I first caught him as a Pidgey in Route 1. Breeze was the first Pokémon I ever caught. Breeze walked up to me, laying his head against my arm.

"You guys are really affectionate today, aren't you," I asked with a laugh, petting Breeze's head.

I held up Breeze's pokéball, letting him know that he had to go back into it. He nodded, going back into the pokéball so we could continue our trip to Fuchsia City. I eventually battled my way out of the maze, reaching the main road. Of course, I knew I wasn't close to Fuchsia City yet. I took out my bike again and rode my way through Route 14 and 15, defeating the trainers who challenged me to a battle. But, I did pick up some interesting information. One of those Bird Keepers told me about legendary bird Pokémon called Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Not many people have seen them with their own eyes. I heard stories about them as a kid, making me wonder if they really did exist.

I battled through Route 15, my Pokémon now quite weary from it all. But, I was almost there. Fuchsia City is so close by that I can almost taste it. There were a damn lot of Bikers around here, which was kind of annoying since they mostly used Poison-type Pokémon. Not that I have anything against Poison-type Pokémon. They're just… A little annoying whenever they poison my Pokémon. Of course, I do know that that's what they're trying to do anyway.

I saw a gate at the end of the route, a sign that Fuchsia City was right behind it. I rode my bike inside the gate, slowing down so that I wouldn't alert the guard.

"Hey," said the guard, quickly looking me up and down. "Is your name 'Leaf?'"

"Uh, yeah," I said, feeling uneasy on how he knew my name.

"You're working on a Pokédex, right?"

Oh, shit… I have a stalker!

"How do you know—"

"One of Professor Oak's aides came by here," interrupted the guard, pointing up at the second floor. He then looked away, staring at the other gate lazily. I got off my bike and moved it to the side of the staircase. I went up the stairs to see what this aide wanted. He probably wants complete information on Pokémon like all the other ones wanted. The second floor was designed exactly the same way as all the second floors in other gates, which was a little unsettling. I saw the aide looking out the window.

"Hey," I called out, startling him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, Leaf," he said with a smile. "I'm glad that you're here. Do you remember me? I'm one of the professor's aides."

"Yeah, I already knew that," I said, despite that I didn't really remember him.

"Does your Pokédex have complete data on 50 species of Pokémon?"

Before I answered, I took out my Pokédex to see how many I've caught so far. I only had 34.

"I'll get back to you on that," I replied, putting away my Pokédex. "I need to do more work on it."

"I see. Well, when you have data on 50 Pokémon, please let me know. I have a very useful item for you."

I nodded and went up to one of the binoculars. I could kill a little time here. All I saw was nothing but ocean. I moved the binoculars around a bit, trying to see something interesting. In the corner of my eye, I saw something sparkling. I quickly moved the binoculars to see whatever that was. A large, blue bird with a long wavy tail was flying over the sea. I pulled away from the binoculars, unsure if I was hallucinating or not. I looked back but I couldn't find the bird. What was that thing? I mentally shook my head, wondering if I should take a rest or get something to eat to keep from hallucinating again.

I walked back downstairs and folded up my bike, choosing to walk the rest of the way. I walked only a short distance until I officially arrived in Fuchsia City. I picked up my pace and began to jog, looking for the Pokémon Center. I eventually found a path that went to the gym, the Pokémon Center a few buildings away. I went inside, knowing full well that it was best to heal up my Pokémon before I do anything here, especially after a long trip from Lavender Town.

"Took you long enough to get here," said a voice, making me look around for the source. It turned out to be Red, who was sitting by a table.

"How long were you here," I asked, walking up to him.

"Almost two hours," he replied, looking somewhat annoyed for being kept waiting.

"I'd like to see you get here in less than hour from Lavender Town while battling everyone," I said, going to the nurse standing behind the counter.

I handed her my pokéballs, letting her heal my Pokémon to perfect health. She gave them back, which I quickly clipped to my belt.

"Did you find anything interesting on your way here," asked Red, who had walked up to me while the nurse healed my Pokémon.

"Hm, I got the ItemFinder from the aide by Vermilion City and a Super Rod from some guy. What about you?"

"I got HM Fly from some girl near Celadon. It will definitely make traveling back to other towns a lot easier."

"Holy crap! I need to get that right away! But, I'd like a good rest though. I'm exhausted from everything that has happened today."

I checked to make sure my pokéballs were secure on my belt. I looked at Red and noticed that he had a sixth pokéball clipped to his belt. Did he actually catch that Snorlax?

"Red, what Pokémon did you catch," I asked him, pointing at the pokéball.

"Nothing in particular," he replied, his eyes looking away.

"Is it a rare Pokémon? You really have to show me if it is!"

"No, it isn't rare."

"Then, what is it?"

"It's best that you don't know."

I stared at him, wondering if it really was worth fighting over. As I stared at Red, he stared back at me, but there was something different about it. Usually, it's an intent stare he gives. But this stare looked like he was starting to get nervous. All the more obvious when his eyes began to shift away from mine. What's he so nervous about? Well, I took this opportunity to swipe his pokéball, tossing it on the floor. What came out was something I didn't really expect. I was face-to-face with a familiar round black Pokémon with purple gas around its body. I screamed at the top of my lungs, making every person there stare at me.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating! My recent college class was quite the handful. But now that it's done and over with, I can finally focus on writing again! Huzzah! Thanks to all who reviewed. I reached the "50 review" mark! I'll do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**_


	16. Out on a Safari

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

"Why the hell did you catch a Gastly," I yelled at Red, who was walking out of the Pokémon Center. Yesterday, I noticed that Red had added a sixth Pokémon to his team, and I wanted to see what he had caught. I didn't expect it to be a Gastly of all things, which caused me to scream.

"I figured a Ghost-type would be useful later," replied Red once we were outside.

"Then why didn't you tell me that you caught a Ghost-type? Instead of letting me find out the hard way!"

"I did say that it was better that you didn't know."

I just sighed, looking at the buildings of Fuchsia City.

"Listen, I'm going to go get that HM. You can stay here and do whatever you want," I said, taking out my bicycle.

"Are you going to Celadon through Cycling Road," he asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You'll have a hard time getting there because it's an uphill ride."

"Don't worry! I can totally handle a hill!"

I rode off before he could protest any further. Before heading to Cycling Road, I challenged a group of trainers that were hanging around a patch of grass near the gate. That way, my Pokémon can be prepared for what was ahead. When I reached Cycling Road, it was a flat road. Heh, I guess Red was just… I stopped my bike when I reached the slope. So, this is what Red was talking about. I took in a deep breath, and began to pedal. It was really difficult to go uphill on a bike because I could feel my bike slip down whenever I stopped. Not just that, but I also noticed that Cycling Road had a lot of those Bikers around too.

"I should have been the one to go to Celadon City, not Red," I muttered, struggling to pedal.

I followed the left path, battling a few Bikers that were there. After about fifteen minutes, I finally reached the top of the hill. When I saw the large group of Bikers there, I felt like ripping my hair out. I tried to get by them unnoticed, but that didn't really work out since there weren't any bushes or anything to use to hide myself in. They saw me, and one after another, they all challenged me to a battle. My Pokémon were exhausted when it was all done, and yet I still had to get that damn HM.

I rode my bike through the gate, riding by slow enough for the guard. I wouldn't want to go by so fast that he'll have to dive over the counter and tackle me down. Besides, I don't want to be known as a criminal, especially after my major screw-up in the beginning. I arrived in the other side of Route 16, the tall buildings of Celadon very noticeable from here. I looked around briefly, wondering where Red battled the Snorlax that was here. There was one of those small thorny trees blocking the only entrance through a fence nearby. I had Terra Cut it down so I can get to the area beyond it. Red told me that there was a house somewhere around here, where he received HM Fly yesterday.

There was a couple on the other side who were sitting by the road, enjoying a picnic. I didn't want to bother them so I quickly rode by to get to the other gate that was here. Since there wasn't a security guard here, I dashed through the gate, leaving the old man there surprised. At the other side of the gate, a small house stood there, close to society yet isolated from it. I got off my bike, leaving it by the side of the house, and knocked on the door. A woman wearing a pink dress with green sandals answered the door. She had her hair done in two buns, each held up by a green ribbon.

"Oh, dear," she said with a sigh. "You've found my secret retreat."

She walked away from the door, and began to look through a drawer she had by the farthest wall. A Fearow watched me carefully as I stood at the front door. She came back to the doorway, holding a cd.

"You can have this as long as you don't tell anyone I'm here," she said, handing me the cd.

"Wow, thanks," I said, accepting the cd from her.

"That HM contains Fly," explained the woman. "It's a wonderfully convenient move. I'm sure you'll put it to good use."

She then quickly closed the door, and I could hear a lock turning. She must be serious about not being bothered again. I shrugged and put away my bike in my bag. I looked down at the HM in my hand, realizing that I can use it to get to Fuchsia City faster than a bike. I grabbed Breeze's pokéball, letting him out so that I could use the HM.

"Okay, Breeze," I said, placing the HM on his head. "I need you to have this on for a few seconds."

Breeze stared at me with a serious gaze before his eyes lit up. He suddenly began to flap his wings, as if eager to take flight. The HM fell off his head, and I picked it up, stuffing it in my bag. I climbed on Breeze's back, pointing south with my right hand.

"To Fuchsia City," I said, wrapping my arms around Breeze's neck. He flapped his wings until we were airborne. I was a little scared since Breeze was flying pretty high up. However, the view was absolutely beautiful. Looking down, I could see Cycling Road and the sea. I was also able to see a couple of cities in the distance, Celadon and Saffron the most noticeable. Breeze began to descend as we flew closer to Fuchsia City. When he got close to the Pokémon Center, I jumped off and held out his pokéball, bringing him back into the ball. I walked into the Pokémon Center and healed up my Pokémon since they needed to rest after all that battling on Cycling Road. Red was there, reading a magazine with a rather bored expression.

"Wow, that magazine must be really interesting," I said sarcastically, walking up to him.

"At least it kept me busy while I waited for you," said Red, putting down the magazine on the table nearby. "Now that you're here, we can finally explore the city."

"All right! Let's go!"

I had to admit that I was flattered that he waited for me to return before checking out the city. I thought he would have gone ahead of me. Now that's what I call a good friend. Red and I walked out of the Pokémon Center to begin our exploration. We jumped down a ledge that was nearby, seeing two houses close by.

"I'll check out that house," I said, pointing at the one with a mailbox. "You can check out the other one."

Red didn't reply, but walked to the other house. Well, I wasn't expecting an argument or anything. I ran up to the first house, noticing that the mailbox said "Safari Zone Warden's Home" written on it. What's a Safari Zone? I knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer it. The door finally opened, an old man staring at me curiously. He began to talk, but I couldn't understand a word he said. He then looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for an answer. I just shook my head, which gained a disappointed look and more unintelligible gibberish from him.

I quickly walked away from there, heading to the house that Red went to check out. Right when I approached the door, it suddenly opened. I almost crashed into Red, who was walking out with two fishing rods. I quickly regained my balance from avoiding the crash.

"Where did you get those from," I asked, pointing at the fishing rods.

"The Fisherman inside gave them to me," replied Red, looking over his shoulder to the house behind him. "I managed to get an extra one to give you."

"Oh, thanks," I said, accepting the fishing rod from him. This one had the words "Good Rod" written on the handle. It does look pretty good. I suddenly realized that I didn't get Red a Super Rod from that Fisherman guy I met yesterday. Damn, I sort of forgot about Red when I was traveling through Route 12.

"Um, do you know what the Safari Zone is," I asked Red, trying to distract myself from my guilt.

"I think it's a large habitat for Pokémon that allows trainers to catch them," replied Red, though sounding a little unsure. "Or something to that degree."

"I see," I said, putting away the Good Rod in my bag. "Let's try to find it. I want to check out the Safari Zone."

We walked around the houses and back onto the street. There were a lot of fences here, which reminded me of that fence-maze in Route 14. That's when I saw a large building that was painted with green waves on it. There was a sign out front that read "Pokémon Paradise, Safari Zone."

"Hey, Red," I said, pointing at the building. "That building might have information on the Safari Zone!"

"Your deduction skills are really impressive," said Red, earning a punch in the arm from me.

We walked inside the building, which had a very long hallway at the entrance. A man in a brown uniform stood close by, smiling at us.

"Welcome," he said, his voice very polite. "Warden Slowpoke is running a promotion campaign right now. Try to get to the farthest corner of the Safari Zone. If you can make it, you'll win a very convenient prize."

"Oh, cool," I said excitedly. "We definitely have to try it out!"

Red suddenly walked away from me, entering a very large room. I followed him inside, seeing a few bookcases by the wall and two large tables. Two men in uniform were sitting across from each other on one of the tables.

"Did you understand a word the warden said earlier," asked one, looking a little ashamed.

"Nope, and I'm guessing you didn't either," replied the other.

"I thought I was the only one! Glad to know I'm not alone. I never knew that the warden had a speech problem."

"Actually, the guy wears dentures. I guess he forgot to wear them today."

"Let's go, Leaf," I heard Red say, causing me to look up at him. "There's nothing worth staying here."

I nodded, walking out of the building with Red. Back outside, I caught sight of a Slowpoke in an enclosed area.

"I didn't know they had a zoo here too," I said, running up to the fence that kept the Pokémon sealed in. I watched the pink Pokémon slowly move from one spot to another.

"'Slowpoke: Friendly and very slow moving,'" said Red, reading the sign on the fence.

I stepped away from the fence, going around seeing if there were more Pokémon. I was right because there were two more enclosures with different Pokémon in them. Red followed me as I walked up to a strange egg-shaped pink Pokémon with an actual egg in a pouch on its belly.

"Whoa, what is that," I asked, pointing at the Pokémon.

Red looked at another sign, reading it aloud.

"It's called Chansey," said Red, looking a little curious of the Pokémon. "'Catching one is all up to chance.'"

I laughed at the pun in the description, walking away to look at the next Pokémon. This one had a Voltorb, looking too much like a pokéball. I chuckled a little because the description on the sign at front said that it was the image of a pokéball. Red caught up with me, walking beside me as we followed the path to see the other zoo Pokémon. A Pokémon nearby caught my attention. I walked up to the enclosure, Red following close behind. This Pokémon was really beautiful in my opinion. It was blue with a long neck, had four flippers, and had a cream-colored underside. It also had a horn, two strange curls on its head, and spiky purple shell. I could only stare in awe at the Pokémon, making me wonder where I can find and catch it.

"'Lapras: The king of the seas," said Red, reading the sign nearby.

"Lapras," I said, still staring at it. "I want one. Is it okay if I throw a pokéball at it?"

"No because that would be stealing," said Red, grabbing my hand and leading me away from Lapras. I just looked back at it, finding it a little unbearable that I can't have a Lapras. Red let go of my hand when we arrived at another enclosure. This one had a Pokémon I've never seen before. It had a white spiral shell and had blue tentacles coming out from it. I looked at the sign nearby to find out what the heck this thing was.

"An Omanyte," I said, a little surprised. "It was regenerated from a fossil! That's amazing!"

Red and I walked over to the next Pokémon, which was a Kangaskhan. Though, looking at it reminded me of Giovanni. Where did he run off to after Red defeated him in the Rocket Hideout? I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked to see Red pointing at a large building. There was a sign out front that said, "Safari Game, Pokémon-U-Catch!"

"That's it," I yelled, grabbing Red's arm. "Come on! I want to play the Safari Game!"

Playing the Safari Game would help me out a lot. If I catch a lot of Pokémon, I'll be able to fill up more pages in my Pokédex. By doing that, I can get those items that Professor Oak's aides have. We quickly ran inside the building, which was nothing but a short gate. It had a green carpet on the floor, and two counters on both sides with a uniformed man behind each.

"Hi! Is it your first time here at the Safari Zone," asked the man near the entrance.

"Yeah, it is," I replied, letting go of Red's hand. From the corner of my eye, I think I saw Red looking away, as if he didn't want me to see his face. That's pretty weird.

"The Safari Zone actually has four zones in it," explained the man. "Each zone has different kinds of Pokémon, even some rare ones. Use the supplied Safari Balls to catch them. You can also throw bait or rocks besides the Safari Balls. If you throw bait, the Pokémon becomes less likely to flee, but harder to catch. If you throw rocks, the Pokémon becomes more likely to flee, but easier to catch. When you run out of time or Safari Balls, it's game over for you!"

That was a long ass explanation he gave there. I walked down the hall, approaching the second guy there.

"Welcome to the Safari Zone," he said with a smile. "For just $500, you can play the Safari Game. You can roam the wide-open safari and catch what you like. Would you like to play?"

"Hell yeah," I said, reaching into my bag and taking out the required money. Red did the same as he took out his wallet. We handed the man the money, which he quickly counted.

"We only use a special kind of pokéballs here," he continued, handing Red and I a bag of Safari Balls. "We'll call you on the PA when you run out of time or Safari Balls. Well, I'll wish you the best of luck!"

I ran ahead, leaving Red behind. I wanted to catch Pokémon right away. I charged into the closest patch of grass, trying to find any Pokémon I have yet to catch. However, most of the Pokémon there were ones I've already caught. I moved on to the next zone, feeling a little pressured to catch something before time ran out. As I moved through the zones, I did my best to catch as many Pokémon as I could. However, all I caught was a Rhyhorn by the time the game was over. I didn't see Red at the entrance gate, so I paid to play again. Besides, I didn't get to thoroughly check out all the zones.

As I checked entered a new zone, I found something shiny on the ground not too far away. I walked up to it, which turned out to be golden dentures. At first, I was a little disgusted, but then I realized that I could get some money out of selling those dentures. I picked up the dentures and put them away in my bag, feeling proud of my find. That's when I saw a sign that said I could get a reward if I returned the dentures to the Warden. It's pretty coincidental that that sign was rather close to where I found the dentures at. Well, whatever. I can still get a reward. I walked down the path until I reached another large building. I walked inside, entering a large room. It had a red carpet over wooden floor, bookcases by the wall, and two computers. Another one of those guys in uniform was there, who looked pretty excited that I was there.

"Ah! Finally," he said with relief. "You're the first person to reach the Secret House! Although, I made a campaign for our grand opening, I was getting worried that no one would win our campaign prize. Congratulations! You have won!"

He walked up to one of the computer desks, opened a drawer, and took out a cd case. He walked back to me, handing me the cd.

"This HM is Surf," he explained. "Pokémon will be able to ferry you across water using it. And, this HM isn't disposable, so you can use it over and over. You're super lucky for winning this fabulous prize!"

"Awesome," I said, putting away the HM in my TM Case. I ran out of the building so that I could get back to catching Pokémon. I'm sure I had a little more time left. I was able to catch an Exeggcute before my time was up. I had no idea where Red was, but I figured he was busy catching Pokémon or finding his way to the Secret House. I decided to play a third round of the Safari Game, this time using my fishing rods to catch some water Pokémon.

I sat by the water's edge, taking out both my fishing rods to use. I hooked a couple Magikarp and some Goldeen, which I caught, with my Good Rod. I figured it was time to switch to the Super Rod.

"What are you doing," I heard a voice say, causing me to look over my shoulder. The voice came from none other than Red.

"Catching Pokémon, what else does it look like," I asked, grabbing my Super Rod. "Did you get to the Secret House yet?"

"Yes, I did," replied Red. "I'm playing the game again to catch more Pokémon."

"Same here. I'm trying to catch some water Pokémon now!"

I cast my line, waiting for something to hook. Red watched me to see what kinds of Pokémon were in the waters here. I eventually hooked something, and I quickly reeled in whatever it was. I reeled in a large orange fish Pokémon with black spots on its body.

"Fuck yeah! Seaking," I yelled, throwing a Safari Ball at it. Unfortunately, it quickly broke out of the ball and swam away.

"Hm, I should probably try some fishing around here," said Red, walking away.

I fished in that area for a while, before getting up and moving to the next zone. There was probably different water Pokémon in each of these ponds. In the next zone, I caught a Psyduck. Though, I found it kind of baffling how a Psyduck was hooked on my Super Rod. I cast my line again, waiting for a short while before I hooked another Pokémon. What I reeled in was something I didn't expect. At the end of my line was a large, strange snake-looking Pokémon. It was a violet blue and white with these white frill things on its head. Well, whatever it was, I wasn't going to let it get away! I immediately threw a Safari Ball at it, which drew it in. The ball fell, and began to shake back and forth. However, the Pokémon broke free and disappeared into the depths of the pond.

Damn it! Okay, I need to catch whatever the hell that was! I cast my line again, hoping to hook the same Pokémon again. It took me a long while to finally hook that Pokémon again, especially with all the other Pokémon I reeled in. But, I realized that this strange snake Pokémon was far more difficult to catch than I thought. This one escaped me too, which was starting to frustrate me. I cast my line again, catching other Pokémon for ten minutes before I reeled in another one of that snake Pokémon. This one had me use up a few Safari Balls, but I finally caught it! I quickly checked my Pokédex, and read its description. That thing turned out to be a Dratini, which was a Dragon-type Pokémon. Holy shit!

Feeling proud of this amazing capture, I moved on to another zone to catch any other water Pokémon. I didn't find any other Pokémon, but that was okay because I did catch some good ones. I checked my Pokédex again, and saw that I had caught 43 Pokémon already. I'm doing pretty well so far. I waited for Red at the gate, wondering if I should have Dratini join me with the rest of my team. Considering the variety of my Pokémon, it would definitely be worth-while to have a Dragon-type. I heard footsteps and looked up to see Red.

"Hey, did you catch a lot of them," I asked, curious if he did better than me.

"I did catch quite a handful, so yes," he replied, looking rather proud.

"That's great," I said with a smile. "I need to get to the Pokémon Center. There's something that I have to do."

Red nodded, and we walked out of the Safari gate, heading for the Pokémon Center. We passed by the gym again, and I glanced at the sign to see what type of Pokémon this gym leader uses. "Koga: The Poisonous Ninja Master" is what the sign said. Poison-types, eh? I think I should have caught a Psychic-type to help with this. But, they're also weak against Ground-types so Terra should be able to take on the gym without a problem. We went inside the Pokémon Center, and I ran up to the PC in the corner. The first thing I did was put away items that I found on my journey for storage. When that was done, I went to the Pokémon storage system to get Dratini.

"All right," I said, holding Dratini's ball in my hand. "Welcome to the party, Dratini!"

"Dratini," asked Red, looking a little confused.

"Oh, I caught this Dragon-type Pokémon with my Super Rod earlier! It took me a long time to catch it, but it was worth it."

"I really should go get that Super Rod."

I chuckled, taking out my Pokédex again. Dratini had a jolly nature and was female. I thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good nickname for Dratini.

"I got it," I said, putting in the nickname in my Pokédex. "Dratini's new name will be Dream!"

"The names of identification for your Pokémon grow increasingly idiotic," said my Pokédex. "I almost pity those organisms to be called such foolish names."

"Shut up!"

"Yeah, dude," said another mechanical voice coming from Red. Red sighed, taking out his own Pokédex from his back pocket.

"At least she didn't name a Cubone 'Cuboner,'" said Red's Pokédex with a laugh. "Or name its evolution 'Marowang!'"

"That is despicably vulgar," said my Pokédex, its monotonous voice actually sounding disgusted.

"Or better yet! She could have caught a Metapod and named it Pen—"

Red closed his Pokédex before it continued talking, as if to keep it from saying anything else that would be considered offensive.

"That Pokédex, along with other carbon-based life forms, must be terminated," said my Pokédex as I put it away in my bag. However, I felt something else in my bag, and I took out whatever it was. It turned out to be those golden dentures I found earlier.

"Why do you have those in your bag," asked Red when he saw them.

"Oh, yeah! I found these in the Safari Zone a while ago. I think we'll get a reward if we return them to the Warden," I replied, heading for the door. Red followed me as I jumped down the ledge outside and walked to the Warden's house. I knocked on the door, waiting for the old guy to answer it. The door opened, the Warden standing there with a perplexed stare.

"Hey, I found these in the Safari Zone," I said, holding out the dentures. "They're yours, right?"

The Warden looked ecstatic as he took the dentures from my hand and put them in his mouth.

"Thank you, lassie! You're a real lifesaver," he said happily. "Please, both of you, come inside!"

He held the door open for me and Red to walk in. His house was pretty nice inside. A few bookcases by the wall, a table with a single chair, and glass cases that held some rare-looking artifacts.

"No one could understand a word that I said, not a one," said the Warden, closing the door. "I was too ashamed to show my face around the office, even. Let me give you both something for your trouble."

He walked up to one of the bookcases, looking around for something in particular. He moved a few books from the side, revealing a couple cd cases crammed against the wall of the bookcase. He took two of them and handed us each one cd.

"Inside that HM, you'll find Strength," explained the Warden. "It lets Pokémon move boulders when you're outside of battle. Oh, yes, did you find the Secret House in the Safari Zone?"

"We did, and we got the Surf HM, too!"

"That's wonderful! Remember, you can only use Surf until you've beaten Koga, the gym leader of Fuchsia City."

"I understand. Thanks for everything," I said, smiling. Red and I walked out of the Warden's house, back into the warm sunny air.

"Okay, Red," I began, putting my hands on my hips. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to do some more training before I challenge Koga. What are you going to do?"

"I'll do some training myself, and try to fill in more pages of the Pokédex," he replied, looking in the direction of where the gym was.

I nodded, grabbing Breeze's pokéball and releasing him from the ball. I climbed on his back, looking back at Red.

"I'm going to Vermilion City to train Dream. You should probably go get that Super Rod in Route 12," I yelled to him as Breeze began to take off. As Breeze flew to Vermilion City, I saw Saffron City again. I don't know why, but I had a bad feeling about that city whenever I looked at it. Something just didn't feel right. I think I should check in on one of those security guards to see how things are going there.

* * *

**_A/N: There sure were a lot of HMs in this chapter. The Safari Zone sure is a lot of fun but it's annoying when you find that one rare Pokemon you haven't caught, and it doesn't stay in the damn ball. Not just that, but they're also quick to flee too. Aside from that, it's loads of fun! I'd like to thank you all for reading and reviewing. I'm getting back in the swing of things now that my stressful English class is done._**


	17. Silph Company Takeover

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

Training Dream turned out to be pretty difficult. Some of the wild Pokémon near Vermilion City were too strong for her to battle so I had to come up with a different strategy. I took out my VS Seeker, figuring it would be better to battle against trainers. Dream doesn't have to fight against their Pokémon, but just take part in the battle, switching her out with one of my other stronger Pokémon. That way, she can get experience without getting hurt. She will slowly, but surely, get stronger this way.

As Dream battled against a Picnicker's Pidgey, a Pokémon I was confident Dream could defeat, I remembered that I had some Rare Candies in the PC. Tempting as it was to use them on Dream, I think it was best to save them for later. Dream defeated the Pidgey with Twister, ending the battle with a victory for us. The dragon Pokémon only glanced at me briefly before looking away as the Picnicker paid me the winning money. She probably doesn't like me yet. I can't blame her since I caught her not too long ago. Though, it's kind of depressing because I already like her but the feeling isn't mutual.

I later came to the conclusion that if I used the VS Seeker to challenge trainers I've battled before, then Dream would get tougher in no time. That also means that I'm going to have to travel around routes I've already explored. Well, no matter. It's all for the sake of Dream! Besides, since Breeze knows Fly, traveling is a cinch now. The first place I went to was Route 3, the path that went from Pewter City to Mt. Moon. After battling the trainers there—the ones that wanted a rematch—I had Breeze fly me to Cerulean City next. I went along the surrounding routes to challenge the trainers a second time. This repetitive battling, and flying, lasted for a couple of hours.

After I had defeated a Gambler on Route 8, I remembered that there was a gate with a second floor by Celadon City and Cycling Road. I didn't have the chance to check it out because I was really determined to get that HM from that girl. When the Gambler had paid me the prize money, I took out my bike and went to the Underground Path nearby to get to Celadon. As I rode down that dark hallway, my thoughts went back to Saffron City. Why did I feel so bothered by the fact that it's closed off? I mean, it's probably just some advanced security measure they're doing lately. There's nothing wrong with that, especially with Team Rocket around.

I rode my bike through the streets of Celadon, trying to push away those nagging thoughts. I finally reached the gate to Cycling Road, and I left my bike by the stairs so I could see whoever was up there. I took out my Pokédex to check how many I've caught so far. Forty-six species… Hm, well, that's pretty decent. Though, the fact that Blue had already caught 40 kinds _before_ I got my third badge was a blow to my self-esteem. The sudden memory of seeing his name inscribed, before Red and I, on those statues of every gym I've been in was another smack to the face that he really was better than me.

Sure, Red and I have defeated him in the battles we got stuck in with him, knocking down his ego a few pegs. That didn't change the fact that he had defeated gym leaders before us and caught more Pokémon than us. I then remembered all the times he's beaten me at almost everything. My victories of the past were things I couldn't recall, possibly because Blue won every time. The image of my first Pokémon battle against him suddenly came up in my mind. Was… Was that really nothing more than just luck? Were all my battles against Blue just dumb luck? But, that would mean I had no skill as a trainer, which would also mean that Blue has beaten me at this too.

"Empty-headed mammal," said my Pokédex from my hand. "How long do you plan to stare moronically at me?"

I stared at my Pokédex, realizing that I had stopped midway on the stairs. My eyes wandered from the Pokédex to the pokéballs on my belt, reminding me that I had been training those five Pokémon diligently. I closed up my Pokédex, holding on to it in case one of those aides was up on the second floor. As I continued to make my way up the stairs, I reminded myself of my goals. The goals to prove to Blue and Red that I am just as good as a trainer as them and I can take care of myself.

On the second floor, there was, indeed, another aide.

"Ah, Leaf," he began when he saw me. "Remember me? I'm one of Professor Oak's aides."

"Yeah, you're that… One guy," I lied.

"Does your Pokédex have data on 40 species of Pokémon? If so, I have a little item that can help you out a little."

I showed him my Pokédex, earning a grin from him.

"Congratulations! Here you go," he said, reaching into his pocket and handing me a gold coin. It looked similar to those gold coins that Meowth have on their heads.

"An Amulet Coin is an item to be held by a Pokémon," explained the aide as I put it away in my bag. "If the Pokémon appears in a winning battle, you will earn more money."

"Wait, so just having one of my Pokémon hold this thing forces the loser to pay more money than usual," I asked, a little surprised by the logic.

"Correct! As long as that Pokémon takes part in the battle."

"What if the other person doesn't want to pay me more money?"

"They have no choice. They _have_ to pay you the extra money."

"Um, okay," I said as he walked towards the stairs. The whole concept sounded vaguely like extortion to me.

"Hey, did Red get the Amulet Coin, too," I called out before the aide left.

"Yes, he already did. He picked it up yesterday since he had caught or owned 40 species of Pokémon," he replied, descending down the stairs.

I heard laughter close to me, causing me to turn to see two kids looking through binoculars. One was a boy and the other a girl, looking to be about 8-years old.

"Look, you can see the department store," said the brown-haired girl, pointing in the direction of Celadon. She was wearing a pink dress with brown sandals.

"Oh, I see it," said the boy with excitement, looking through the binoculars. His hair was a lighter shade of brown than the girl, and he wore a gray shirt with brown pants and black shoes.

They laughed again, making me reminisce of the times I used to play with Red and Blue as a kid. I mentally shook my head, heading for the stairs. Now isn't the time to be nostalgic or wish that Red was accompanying me now. Wait, what? That was a weird thought. I guess I kind of miss Red since I haven't been hanging around with him lately. Yeah, it's definitely because we've been busy training and stuff. Back on the first floor, I folded up my bike and put it away in my bag. I walked back outside, sending out Breeze so he could fly me to Vermilion. I might as well take advantage of training Dream by having her hold the Amulet Coin.

I trained again in Route 11, making my way to Route 12. I used my VS Seeker to get rematches from the fishermen there. As usual, I had Dream only appear in the battle, switching her out with one of my other Pokémon. But, this time, she seemed kind of stressed out. I'm not a mind-reader or anything but I had a feeling that something was really bothering her. I switched her with Static, who easily brought down a Fisherman's Seadra with Thunderbolt. He paid me more money than usual, which I still find weird that just holding a freaking coin has the power to do that.

As I put away my prize money in my bag, I felt Dream's pokéball moving around a lot. I grabbed her pokéball, releasing her out to see what in the world is going on with her. A bright white light suddenly surrounded her body, and I already knew what was going to happen next. I watched as her body grew longer, which was the most noticeable change I saw during the evolution. When the light faded, I realized that the frills near her head had changed into small wings, a small horn had grown out the middle of her head, a blue orb was on her neck, and that two more blue orbs had appeared near the end of her tail. Her skin was also a brighter blue and white.

"Congratulations," said my monotonous Pokédex from my bag. "Your Dratini evolved into Dragonair."

"Wow, I didn't know you could evolve," I said to Dream, who only briefly glanced at me. "It was a lot of work, but I think you're ready to battle on your own. Let's go do some more training!"

The Dragonair moved her head so that she wouldn't look at me. I had to admit that for a Pokémon with a jolly nature, she's kind of snobby. I returned Dream to her pokéball so that we could continue training her. She still had some way to go before she was as strong as the rest of my team. And so, I spent almost the entire day training the dragon Pokémon, even though she obviously didn't like me.

* * *

"Hey, Red," I began, walking to the table he was sitting at. It was early morning, the sun had risen an hour or so ago. The Pokémon Center of Fuchsia City was empty except for the two of us and the nurse. Red was looking at his Pokédex, probably keeping track of how many he had caught so far.

"What is it," he asked me, not looking up.

"I think we should head over to Saffron City."

"Did you get the badge here already," asked Red, finally looking at me.

"Not yet because I've been really busy training Dream. She's as strong as the rest of my team already," I replied, holding on to the strap of my bag.

"The sixth gym is in Saffron so I think we should get Fuchsia's badge before heading over there."

"It's not that," I said, tightening the grip on my bag's strap. "I… I have a bad feeling about Saffron City. Something doesn't feel right about it. Is it okay if we head over there just to check up on it?"

Red sighed, but then nodded. I let out a sigh of relief, releasing my grip on my bag.

"All right," he said, glancing at the glass door. "It'd be best to settle these anxieties of yours."

We walked out of the Pokémon Center, sending out our bird Pokémon. I climbed on my Pidgeot's back while Red did the same with Fearow.

"Okay, Breeze," I said, pointing north. "To Celadon City!"

The bird chirped, flapping its wings and taking off. Red's Fearow followed close behind, flying over the city and then the sea. It took us about five to ten minutes to reach Celadon. Breeze began to descend as we neared the large city. He landed in front of the Pokémon Center, and I hopped off his back. Fearow landed seconds after we landed, Red also hopping off the large bird's back. We returned our Pokémon to their pokéballs, and looked in the direction of Saffron. We took a few steps down the road until I remembered something.

"Oh, wait," I said, digging through my bag. "I have to give Static something."

"What are you doing," asked Red, looking at me curiously.

I found what I was looking for, taking out a Thunderstone.

"Last night, I was thinking of evolving Static because I heard Pikachu evolve when you use a Thunderstone on them. Are you going to do the same for your Pikachu?"

"No, I prefer that he stays a Pikachu," said Red, crossing his arms over his chest.

I shrugged, grabbing Static's pokéball and releasing him. The Pikachu looked up happily at me, but suddenly froze in place when he saw the Thunderstone in my hand.

"Static, it's time that you evolved," I said, extending my hand so that he could come in contact with the stone. Static took a few steps back, looking rather unsure of the whole idea.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," I reassured him. "Even when you're evolved, I won't treat you any differently or anything. Besides, I'll still let you ride with me on my bike."

Static gave me a look of confidence, but took hesitant steps toward the Thunderstone in my hand. He placed a paw on the stone and suddenly started glowing with a bright light. His form began to grow, his tail growing a lot longer, and his ears began to change shape. When the light faded, I saw that his fur had also changed. He wasn't yellow anymore but a light orange color, his feet were tipped with brown as were his paws and ears, and his red cheek pouches had changed to yellow. He had a white belly and brown stripes on his back. His tail had grown very long, ending with a thunderbolt pattern and his ears had a strange curl to them.

"Congratulations," said my Pokédex. "Your Pikachu evolved into Raichu."

"See? I knew you wouldn't grow much," I said with a laugh, tossing the now gray stone to the side. "That's why I said you could still ride my bike with me."

Static frowned at me, giving me a light shock that made me fall on the floor.

"I think he's angry because he was kind of scared about evolving," said Red, walking over to me and helping me up.

"Y-You don't say," I said, standing on wobbly legs. "Well, either way, things turned out all right."

I returned Static to his pokéball, and we continued our walk to Saffron City. We walked through the short path of Route 7, heading for Saffron's western gate. We entered the gate, seeing a security guard standing on the other side of the counter there.

"Jeez, I'm thirsty," said the guard to himself before noticing us. "Hey! Saffron City is closed!"

"What? How can it still be closed," I asked with surprise.

"It just is! Now go away before I call in for some backup!"

"Ugh, fine. C'mon, Red. Let's go to the department store and pick up some supplies or something," I said, heading for the door.

"Wait," called the guard, causing me to look back. "Can you guys do me a little favor? Can you guys buy me a Soda Pop since you're heading to Celadon?"

At that, I had an idea pop into my head.

"Soda Pop? Wouldn't it be healthier if you got something like—Oh, I don't know—tea," I asked, a small smirk on my lips.

"Hm, I guess tea would be better for me," mused the guard, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

"Here," I said, digging through my bag and taking out the thermos with the tea I received from that old lady. "This special tea would definitely quench your thirst!"

The guard took the thermos from me, opening it and smelling the tea inside.

"It smells really good," he said, looking eager to drink it down.

"Yep, but you should probably warm it up because I think it got cold."

"Wait, I can have this drink?"

"Sure! As long as you let us by to get to Saffron City."

"Oh, thank you! Go on through! I'm going to share this tea with the other guards after I warm it up," he said excitedly.

"Thanks a bunch," I said, walking by to the other door. Red followed me, looking over his shoulder at the guard.

"Wasn't that bribery," asked Red as we walked out of the gate.

"I prefer to call it a win-win situation."

I stopped walking when I saw the large buildings of Saffron. It was a lot bigger than Celadon. However, something was definitely wrong about this place. Normally, a large city like this would have a lot of people walking down the streets. The paved streets before me were completely empty, looking too much like a ghost town. There's obviously a reason for this.

"Leaf, let's split up to check out the city," said Red, looking around for any sign of people. "We'll meet up at the Pokémon Center."

"Okay, I'll see you there," I said, heading south.

I headed down this seemingly empty street to find the cause for the lack of life in the city. That's when I saw two Team Rocket members there. I walked by one, putting my hand over Dream's pokéball in case the grunt suddenly attacked me. He didn't but watched me carefully as I passed a huge building. That was the Silph Co. office building. I remember seeing it on a few commercials about their products. The second Rocket grunt was standing by the front doors of the building, glaring at me as I walked by. I picked up my pace and ran down the rest of the way, turning right so I could check out a different street. This street was also empty except for another Rocket grunt there, looking around for who-knows-what.

"Psst," said a voice, causing me to look for the source. I looked at a nearby house, seeing a man staring at me from his doorway.

"Quickly! I know how to help you," he said, waving me over.

It seemed kind of suspicious so I grabbed Dream's pokéball while I headed over to the man. He let me inside his house, and he closed the door as soon as I stepped in. He looked to be middle-aged or so, his hair already thinning at the top. He wore a white shirt with dark brown pants, looking pretty ordinary.

"The city is in serious trouble," he said, heading over to a set of drawers by the wall. "I can't stand up to those Rocket guys but I know that you can."

"How do you know that," I asked, relaxing a little.

"Because I'm Mr. Psychic," he said, closing the drawer that he was searching through. "I'm sure these TMs will help you out."

He walked over to me and handed me two TMs, both identical.

"Why did you give me an extra one," I asked, looking at him with confusion.

"The spare is for your friend," he replied, surprising me with his knowledge. "Please give him that spare. Those TMs contain the move Psychic. It's a powerful move that you'll put to good use. But, please, rid Saffron of Team Rocket."

"All right, leave it to me."

"Thank you. They've raided the Silph Co. building. I'm sure you know what you have to do."

I nodded and headed out. I dashed down the street, heading straight for the Pokémon Center before the Rocket Grunt there caught sight of me. Inside the Pokémon Center, a woman, older man, and a kid looked at me with fear before relaxing. I guess they thought I was a Team Rocket member coming in.

"There you are," said Red, who approached me from the side. "I was a little worried that something happened to you."

"What's going on here," I asked, looking at the three people there.

"When Team Rocket invaded Saffron, they found shelter here. They're too afraid to head outside, and the same goes for the rest of the city."

I looked down for a moment, thinking of what had to be done. I then looked up at Red, showing him that I was determined of what I was about to do.

"I'm going to the Silph building to fight Team Rocket," I said, heading for the door.

I could hear Red following me so I stopped to see what he was going to do.

"I'm not going to let you do it alone," he said, looking just as determined as me.

I smiled at him, and we walked together to the Silph Co. building. I had to do this. It's like what Blue told me in Cerulean City. I had to do all I could to make up for my past mistakes. But it wasn't just a way to redeem myself. This was the right thing to do. I knew that if Red were on his own, he would do everything he could to get Team Rocket out of Saffron City. I stopped walking for a moment to look up at the large office building. It was eleven stories high, making it the tallest building I've ever seen. The Celadon Department Store has nothing on this.

I focused on the guard standing by the front door. Surprisingly, the guy was sleeping. Red and I quickly, but stealthily, walked by the guard, entering the building. The first floor was huge. There was a big fountain in the middle, lots of potted plants by the walls, and a couple of couches on the left side of the room while a few tables were on the right side. Despite the spaciousness of the room, it was empty. I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign. We found a staircase by the corner of the room and went up to the second floor. We immediately split up since it would make it easier for us to clear out Team Rocket if we covered more ground.

I'm kind of surprised that Red didn't show any sign of worry for my safety. Maybe he finally understood that I could take care of myself… Or maybe he's just too determined to get rid of Team Rocket. I found a Rocket Grunt nearby in a room, who I had battle to further explore the room he was in. Something told me that this was going to be a lot like the Rocket Hideout. Nothing but wandering around and lots of battling. After defeating the grunt, who had a team of mostly Zubat, a Golbat, and a Raticate, I moved on from there, only to see that there was another grunt in the room. My Pokémon easily beat his small team, and he gave me some interesting information on tiles that could teleport people. Technology sure is amazing! Or they might have just gotten some Abra or something to teleport them, making it look like it's the tiles.

Down the hall, two rooms were sealed off by large metal doors. I noticed card slots by the doors, hinting that a card key was needed to open up those things. Since I couldn't do anything with the doors, I walked away to find a Scientist in a smaller room. Maybe he could help me out with the doors. That turned out to be impossible because it turned out he was on Team Rocket's side, considering that he yelled at me to leave and challenged me to a battle. Flare easily beat his Pokémon, and I was able to check out the small room. That's when I found a strange diamond-shaped tile on the floor. I think this is what that grunt was talking about. I took a hesitant step until I was standing in the middle of the tile. Everything around me faded to white for a few seconds until shapes and colors returned. I was in a different room now. Those teleport tiles really do work!

"You're causing us problems," I heard a voice yell from behind me. I turned around and saw another Scientist, who was probably standing there the whole time. He took out a pokéball, and I quickly grabbed Flare's pokéball to battle against whatever Pokémon he had. All he had was a Grimer and Electrode. I won the battle, and I walked away to explore more of the floor. I saw another Rocket Grunt around the corner so I grabbed Dream's pokéball to be ready. I took a deep breath and walked up to him.

"Hey, what is Team Rocket doing here," I said loudly, causing him to turn towards me.

"I'm one of the four Rocket Brothers," he said, completely ignoring my question.

He tossed his pokéball that released a Weezing while I sent out Dream. Dream attacked with Slam, hurting Weezing. Weezing countered with Smog, which poisoned Dream. I had Dream use Twister to weaken Weezing some more. The Poison-type Pokémon then let out a thick black cloud, making it difficult for Dream to aim accurately. The best thing I could think of was to have Dream finish off Weezing with Dragon Rage, which indeed caused it to faint. The grunt returned his faint Pokémon to its pokéball, and sent out a Koffing.

The funny thing with the next move was that both our Pokémon ended up missing each other. It grew a little frustrating since Koffing used Smokescreen just like Weezing. However, Dream defeated the Koffing with Dragon Rage. The grunt then sent out a Golbat, and I switched out Dream with Static, who was able to easily beat the Golbat with Thunderbolt.

"I'll leave you up to my brothers," said the grunt, glaring at me. I walked away and explored more of the floor. I was challenged by another grunt but he was pretty easy to defeat. I couldn't do much else here except to pick up some information. Though, all I managed to gather was that Giovanni, the Rocket Boss, was cruel and treats Pokémon like tools. That really isn't news since I got that impression of him when I first met him in the Rocket Hideout.

I went back to the second floor by using the teleport tiles on the floor. I made my way to the stairs so I could go up to the third floor. I want to thoroughly check out the building so that I can help out anyone and find a card key. Unfortunately, I couldn't help much on this floor, only battling a grunt that happened to be there. I stepped on one of those teleport tiles, which took me to the fifth floor. On this floor, there was a scientist who seemed innocent… Until I talked to him. It turned out he was undercover, working in Silph Co. to help Team Rocket. After I defeated him in a Pokémon battle, he said that they worked on an "ultimate" pokéball, one that could catch anything. Something like that must be worth a fortune.

I found two other grunts there, who didn't say much except tell me to not mess with them and that Koffing evolved into Weezing. As if I couldn't figure out the latter. I later found a Juggler, who also worked for Team Rocket, surprisingly. But from what he said after the battle, I think that Giovanni was on the top floor. In the same room the Juggler was in, there were some reports about Pokémon. I quickly skimmed through them to find out any valuable information. When that was done, I found the stairs so that I could check out the fourth floor.

Thanks to a grunt nearby, I found out that Giovanni really was on the top floor. Another grunt wasn't much help though, and I still needed that damn card key to check out the locked areas. With a sigh, I left to explore the sixth floor. That was when I ran into one of the Rocket Brothers.

"I am one of the four Rocket Brothers," he yelled, sending out a Machop.

"Thanks for the introduction," I said, tossing Dream's pokéball.

I had Dream start off with Slam, which missed. Machop attacked with Seismic Toss, which weakened Dream quite a bit. Dream used Twister, which weakened Machop greatly. However, it countered with Revenge, which severely weakened Dream. Dream managed to defeat Machop with another Twister. I quickly switched out Dream with Breeze, knowing full well that I had to heal Dream after this. The grunt sent out a Machoke after calling back his faint Machop. Breeze immediately used Fly, which was more than enough to defeat the Machoke.

"No matter," said the grunt with confidence. "My brothers will avenge me!"

I just ignored him and checked on the people in the next room. They were all terrified of what was happening. Some were too scared to say much to me, and the few that were able to talk just begged me to help them. I took this time to heal up Dream since she was really weak from the last battle. I battled another grunt nearby and a Scientist who also worked in Silph Co. for Team Rocket. How many people were in on this attack? I went up to the seventh floor, feeling a little tired from going up these floors, and there were still a few more to go. Then, I ran into yet another Rocket Brother.

"I am one of the four Rocket Brothers," he said, sending out a Cubone.

"Why do you guys all say the same thing," I asked, sending out Breeze.

Breeze quickly attacked with Wing Attack, causing a lot of damage. Cubone used Focus Energy, preparing itself for another attack. However, Quick Attack easily brought it down. The grunt sent out another Cubone, which didn't stand a chance against Breeze's Fly.

"Doesn't matter," he said with a smirk. "My brothers will repay the favor."

I think he means brother since I already defeated his other two brothers. I left the guy alone and went to look around, finding another grunt and traitor Scientist. Damn it… Where the hell is that card key at? I went up to the eighth floor, and quickly made it to the ninth floor. I already checked out this floor earlier thanks to those teleport tiles. On the ninth floor, I went down this narrow hallway to see if there was anyone there. There was… And it turned out to be the last Rocket Brother.

"I am one of the four Rocket Brothers," he said proudly, sending out a Golbat.

I ignored that repetitive statement, sending out Flare to battle Golbat. Flare easily defeated Golbat with Flamethrower. I switched Pokémon and sent out Dream to battle whatever Pokémon the grunt will send out. The grunt sent out a Drowzee, who went down with Dream's Slam. The grunt looked frustrated already and sent out his last Pokémon, a Hypno. However, Hypno was quickly defeated with Slam by Dream.

"My brothers will avenge me," growled the grunt, ignorant of the fact that I defeated all his other brothers.

I backed away from the grunt and continued my way through the halls. At the end of another narrow hallway was a Scientist, who challenged me to a battle. After I defeated him, I checked out the large crates that were in the room. I found one of those teleport tiles and figured I should probably check it out. I stepped on it and was teleported to the fifth floor in a different part. I walked down the hallway and found something lying on the floor. It was a card, which I picked up and examined.

"Holy smokes," I said with surprise. "This is the Card Key I was looking for!"

I stashed it away in my bag and went back to the teleport tile to take me to the ninth floor. There, I opened up the locked door that was in the room. The room that was sealed away was empty of both people and possibly valuable items. Well, that kind of sucked. I went up to the tenth floor, battling a Scientist and Rocket Grunt that were there. I opened up the locked doors there and picked up some useful items I found lying around. I made my way to the eleventh floor, but I was disappointed at what I found. There was nothing but a long hallway and a grunt.

This isn't good. I'll have to backtrack and open up all the doors while checking out those teleport tiles to take me to a different section of the eleventh floor. I went down the stairs to the ninth floor to open any doors I missed the last time I was there. There were a few but not much. The eighth floor only had one, so I moved to the seventh floor. I opened up the doors there, encountering a grunt that I haven't battled yet. I also opened up a room full of Silph workers, who were more panicky than the others I saw before.

The sixth floor had a storage room, where I found some useful items. On the fifth floor, I found a few more items and Silph workers, one of which seemed kind of calm. The closed rooms on the fourth floor had a Scientist that battled me and another storage room, along with a worker who was hiding there. The third floor had another Scientist in closed off room, but my Pokémon were able to defeat his. I then made it to the second floor and opened the closed rooms there. One had a girl hiding while another had a Scientist posing as a Silph employee.

With all the sealed rooms open, I set to work on finding the right teleport tile that can take me to the eleventh floor. I first tried the ones I haven't used on the second floor. One took me to the sixth floor and the other took me to the third floor. I stayed on the third floor and went to the room where that Scientist was. I stopped in the room before his, staring at the teleport tile on the floor near the desk. I figured I should heal up my Pokémon with items I found so that they were healthy to take on Giovanni. Or did Red beat me to that? Where was he anyway? I stepped on the teleport tile and ended up in an unfamiliar room. To my surprise, Red and Blue were battling there.

"Red? Blue," I asked, loud enough to be heard over their battle. "What the hell are you guys doing battling right now? There isn't time for that, especially with Team Rocket—"

"Stay out of it," said both Red and Blue. Though Red said it more calmly while Blue practically yelled it. Their Pokémon, Blue's Blastoise—Whoa, so he finally evolved Wartortle?—and Red's Pikachu, looked rather tired, signaling that the end of the battle was soon. I made my way around the battle, and proceeded with my goal. Something caught my eye, and I turned my head to the desk by the left side of the wall. Under the desk was a man, who was crouching down while having his arms over his head. He was wearing a black shirt with washed out jeans.

"Hey, are you okay," I asked, peering down under the desk. He looked up at me in surprise, and suddenly smiled.

"You're not a Rocket! Did you come to save us," he asked, crawling out from under the desk.

"Definitely not a Rocket, and yes."

"Why, thank you! I want you to have this Pokémon for saving us."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokéball, handing it to me.

"Would you like to nickname the newly obtained Lapras," asked my Pokédex.

"L-Lapras," I asked, feeling both shocked and astonished.

"Yes, it's a Lapras," said the man. "It's a very intelligent Pokémon. We kept it in our lab, but it will be much better off with you. I think you'll be a good trainer for Lapras! It's a good swimmer, and it'll give you a lift across water!"

"Wow! Thank you so much," I said ecstatically, putting in Lapras' new nickname. "I'll take good care of Rain!"

I looked back at the boys' battle, watching as Pikachu struck Blastoise with a Thunderbolt, which caused the Water-type Pokémon to faint.

"Looks like you are ready for Boss Rocket," said Blue as he returned Blastoise to his pokéball. I walked up to the both of them, holding my new Pokémon's ball in my hand.

"Well, Red, Leaf," said Blue with a smirk. "I'm moving on up and ahead! By checking my Pokédex, I'm starting to see what's strong and how they evolve! Am I genius or what?"

Red remained silent while I rolled my eyes. Really, it was best that we didn't answer that question.

"I'm going to the Pokémon League to boot out the Elite Four," continued Blue, a spark of determination in his brown eyes. "I'll become the world's most powerful trainer! Leaf, Red, good luck to the both of you! Don't sweat it! Smell ya!"

Red and I watched as Blue walked away and stepped on the teleport tile, disappearing from the room.

"What the hell was he doing here," I asked Red. "Because it's damn obvious that he didn't come here to help us!"

"He saw us walking around in Saffron so he wanted to battle either one of us to see if we got stronger," replied Red, looking quite irritated from the whole ordeal. "I didn't know he was waiting here, and my Pokémon weren't in their best condition when I found him."

"That douche! I can't believe he barges into the building just to battle one of us instead of helping out! And he has the nerve to tell us his ambitions and leave! Damn that self-centered, egotistical bastard!"

"Leaf, I think Giovanni is just ahead. You can defeat him, right?"

I smirked and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry! I can handle that guy," I said, feeling pretty confident.

"Excuse me," said the man from earlier, startling me. "The way to the boardroom is this way."

He pointed at a teleport tile on the floor not too far away. I nodded, and walked toward it. Red followed me as we entered a long hallway. We walked down the hall, wary of what had yet to come. When we turned the corner at the end of the hall, a grunt saw us and ran up to us.

"Stop right there," he yelled, taking out a pokéball. "Don't you move!"

"Screw that," I said, tossing Static's pokéball.

The grunt sent out a Cubone, and I knew I had to switch Pokémon. I switched out Static and sent out Breeze instead so that he'll have some advantage over the Ground-type. Breeze used Wing Attack on the Cubone, causing it to faint. I switched my Pokémon again, sending out Terra while the grunt sent out a Drowzee. Terra was able to defeat the Drowzee with Magnitude. I switched out Terra, sending out Breeze again. The grunt sent out his last Pokémon, a Marowak. For a short moment, I remembered the ghost of Marowak in Pokémon Tower. I pushed the thought away and had Breeze use Fly. The attack caused a lot of damage but Marowak was still standing. Marowak countered with Rage, hurting Breeze a little. Breeze then used Wing Attack to finish off the weakened Marowak.

"Now, step aside, chump," I said, taking out my Card Key to open the closed door nearby. Red and I then walked in to see Giovanni standing by a large round table. Silph Co.'s president sat on a couch with a female assistant close by, frozen in fear. He was an elderly man, wearing a brown business suit.

"Ah, so we meet again," said Giovanni, turning to look at us. "The President and I were just discussing a vital business proposition. Keep your nose out of grown-up matters. Or, experience a world of pain!"

"You call using your henchmen to forcefully take a company a 'business proposition,'" I asked, taking out Terra's pokéball and tossing it.

Giovanni sent out a Nidorino while Terra appeared out of the pokéball. Terra started the battle with Magnitude, causing Nidorino to faint from the attack. I quickly switched out Terra with Flare as Giovanni sent out Kangaskhan. Flare attacked with Flamethrower while Kangaskhan countered with Mega Punch. Flare used another Flamethrower, which caused the opposing Pokémon to faint. I switched my Pokémon, sending out Terra again. Giovanni sent out his next Pokémon, a Rhyhorn. Terra used Magnitude, weakening Rhyhorn who retaliated with Fury Attack. I had Terra use another Magnitude to finish off Rhyhorn.

Giovanni looked clearly annoyed now as he sent out his last Pokémon, which turned out to be Nidoqueen. Terra quickly used Dig to evade Nidoqueen's next attack and counter with her own attack. It greatly weakened Nidoqueen but it wasn't enough. It attacked Terra with Poison Sting, causing little damage. I ordered Terra to use Magnitude again, which finished off Nidoqueen and brought the battle to an end.

"I lost again," growled Giovanni, his anger very obvious. "Damn it all! You ruined our plans for Silph! Team Rocket will never fall! Leaf! Red! Never forget that all Pokémon exist for Team Rocket! I must go, but I shall return!"

Red and I watched as the Rocket Boss ran off, leaving us alone and victorious. I then looked over at the President, who looked relieved now that Giovanni was gone. I walked over to him to make sure if he was okay and not suffering from some kind of heart attack.

"Oh, dear girl," he said, a pleased smile on his lips. "Thank you for saving Silph. I will never forget you saved us in our moment of peril. I have to thank you in some way."

"There's no need for that. Besides, Red helped me out, too," I said calmly.

"I'm rich so I can give you anything," continued the President.

"No, no. I'm fine with—Wait… Anything?"

"Here, maybe this will do," said the President, looking over at his assistant. She nodded, and walked behind the couch. She took off a painting from the wall, revealing a safe. She turned the dial to enter the lock combination and opened the safe. She reached inside and pulled out a small white box. The assistant closed the safe and walked toward me, offering me the box. I opened the box and took out a strange purple pokéball.

"You can't buy that anywhere," explained the President. "It's our secret prototype Master Ball. It will catch any Pokémon without fail! You should be quiet about using it, though."

"Thanks a bunch for this gift," I said, putting away the Master Ball in my bag. "I'll use it wisely. I'm glad that everything turned out okay, but we have to get going."

"I see. Please, take care of yourselves and thank you again."

As Red and I walked out of the room, I felt relieved that we were able to get Team Rocket out of Silph Co. But, given from what Giovanni said, I was sure that I'd encounter the Rocket Boss again. For now, I'll just worry about getting my next badge.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm very sorry that this chapter is incredibly late. A lot of things were going on for me... But I hope this chapter makes up for it. I find the Amulet Coin to be an odd item. I don't think such an item can work in the real world. "Hey, you lost the bet! But guess what? You have to pay me double because I'm carrying a golden coin!" Yeah, I don't think so. Though, I think it can work if there was some kind of spirit haunting the coin who possesses the loser and makes them pay double. At least that makes more sense. Before I forget.. *gives random reader a cookie* Since you asked for one for being right about the last chapter.**_


	18. Ninjas, Blackbelts, and Psychics! Oh My!

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

"Leaf, it's been three days already," said Red, staring at me seriously.

We were on the outskirts of Fuchsia City, sitting on the grass and looking down Route 19. The ocean was close by, its salty breeze blowing through my hair. I knew what Red was talking about. When we had returned to Fuchsia after that Team Rocket and Silph Co. incident, I had been busy training my new Lapras, Rain. I have to admit that I thought it was going to be a girl, but it turns out she is actually a he. Well, the name still fits.

"I've already won the Soul Badge. You should really go and challenge Koga," Red continued.

"That's exactly what I was going to do today," I said, staring at the sea. "I was just using the first two days to train Rain, and I used the third day to drop by Pallet Town. I let my mom know that I was all right, and I told your mom, too."

"Thanks for that."

"No problem," I said, getting up and dusting off my skirt. "Anyway, I'll be off to challenge the gym. Oh, right! Before I forget again…"

I dug through my bag and took out my TM Case, opened it, and gave a spare to Red.

"A guy in Saffron gave me an extra one so I could give it to you. I kept forgetting to because of the training and stuff."

A small smile appeared on his face as he put away the TM in his own case. I picked up my bag from the ground, waving to Red, and walked to the gym. I stopped in front of the gym, feeling my heart beat rapidly. Even though I was confident, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. I took a deep breath and let Rain out of his pokéball. The large Pokémon stared down at me, a kind look in his eyes. When I first met him, I figured a Pokémon as big as him would give me a patronizing look, like another certain someone I know. But Rain wasn't like that. After training him in the past three days, I began to understand him a little better.

"Okay, Rain," I said, taking my TM Case out again. "There's a certain move I want you to know because it'll help us beat the gym leader and give you an advantage over your weaknesses."

I took out the light pink disc I needed, putting my case back in my bag. I gestured Rain to lower his head so I could use the TM. I placed the TM on his head, and he stared at me with confusion. His dark eyes suddenly widened, and the disc broke in half.

"There you go," I said with a grin. "Now you know Psychic!"

I thought for a moment about the HMs I had as well. I should probably teach them to my Pokémon as soon as I can. The only HMs I haven't used yet are Surf and Strength. Well, I know the perfect one to teach Surf to. I took out the blue disc and placed it on Rain's head as well. After he successfully learned the move, I sent out Flare. He'd be perfect to learn Strength. After all the preparations were complete, I returned my Pokémon back to their pokéballs. Time to get my fifth gym badge.

I inhaled deeply, steeling myself for what was yet to come, and entered the gym. Inside, the gym was shockingly plain. I mean, there were just gym trainers standing around while Koga, I'm pretty sure it's him, was right in the middle. This is too easy. I walked straight towards him, feeling a little disappointed that I couldn't get more of a challenge out of the gym. Sure, I could challenge the other gym trainers, but I had to get the badge quickly. That's when I suddenly collided into something. I quickly backed away from whatever the hell it was, bringing my hands over my nose in pain.

"What," I said to myself, staring at pretty much nothing.

"Oh, hey, you should be careful," said a guy standing by the Pokémon statues near the door. "There are invisible walls around here, but they have gaps that can help you get to Koga."

Invisible walls? I extended my hand, and took small steps forward. On the third step, I felt a solid surface on my fingertips. There really were invisible walls around here. I should have known better to think that I was going to get the badge quickly. Guess I'm going to have to find those gaps that guy was talking about. I moved to the left, keeping my hand on the wall to help me find any gaps. I kept following the wall, until a Juggler, who was hiding around the corner, saw me.

"Let's see you beat my special techniques," he said, juggling his pokéballs before tossing one.

"Don't drop your balls," I said, biting back my laughter.

I grabbed Rain's pokéball and sent him out to battle against the Juggler's Drowzee. Rain attacked with Surf, severely weakening the Drowzee. The opposing Pokémon countered with Headbutt, but it didn't do much against Rain. I had Rain finish it off with an Ice Beam. I switched Rain with Terra, knowing that a powerful physical attacker would be good. The Juggler sent out a Kadabra, and I knew my choice was perfect. Terra used a strong Magnitude, which caused the Kadabra to faint.

With the battle over, the Juggler paid me my winning money, and I continued to search for a way to Koga. Ugh, why didn't Red tell me about this before? He probably wanted me to figure it out on my own. That was sort-of nice, if there even is such a thing. I couldn't find any gaps on this side of the gym so I should head to the other side. I couldn't get too far because there was another Juggler hiding around the corner.

"Strength isn't the key for Pokémon. Do you understand this," he asked me. "Pokémon is about strategy! I'll show you how strategy can beat brute strength."

He tossed a pokéball, releasing a Hypno, and I did the same with Rain. Rain attacked with an Ice Beam, weakening the opponent. Hypno used Poison Gas, the purple mist poisoning Rain. I quickly switched out Rain and sent out Terra while Hypno used Meditate. Terra caused the Hypno to faint with her Magnitude.

"So, you mix brawn with brains," asked the Juggler, calling back his faint Hypno. "Good strategy! That's remarkable for a trainer as young as you. Just like those last two challengers that were here."

He's probably talking about Blue and Red, but I could be wrong. I sent out Rain so I could heal him with an Antidote. I really don't get why Psychic-types are in a gym of Poison-types. I felt along the wall and followed it, running into another Juggler.

"I was a magician once upon a time," he said with a distant look on his face. "But I dreamt of becoming a ninja, so I joined this gym."

He tossed a pokéball while I did the same, releasing a Drowzee and Lapras respectively. Rain was able to easily defeat the Drowzee with Surf. I called back Rain and sent out Flare to battle another Drowzee the Juggler had. Flare's Wing Attack was more than enough to defeat Drowzee. The next Pokémon the Juggler sent out was Kadabra, who was quickly beaten by Flare's Wing Attack. The Juggler sent out his last Pokémon, which was another Drowzee. I had Flare end the battle with Strength, fainting the Drowzee.

"Even though I've lost," said the Juggler, a proud look in his eyes. "I will keep training according to the teachings of Koga, my ninja master."

I'll admit that I'm pretty excited to meet a real ninja. I'm sure Koga won't disappoint me. I continued on to follow the wall, reaching the back of the gym. However, another gym trainer saw me. This one was a Tamer.

"I also study the way of the ninja with Master Koga," he said proudly, taking out a pokéball. "Ninja have a long history of using animals!"

He threw his pokéball, sending out an Arbok. I sent out Rain, ordering him to use Psychic. The large snake fainted from the attack, causing the Tamer to send out a Sandslash. However, Rain's Surf easily defeated the Ground-type Pokémon. The Tamer sent out another Arbok, who, like his other allies, was defeated by Rain. After the Tamer paid me, I went around the corner of the invisible wall, and I noticed that I was getting closer to Koga. Of course, the wall kept me from getting any closer and challenging him. Damn, right when I was so close. I saw two other gym trainers that I had passed by who I haven't challenged yet. It'd be best if I battled them so my Pokémon could get more experience. I walked up to one, a Juggler, who was a little surprised to see me.

"Master Koga comes from a long line of ninjas," he said, a pokéball in his hand. "What did you descend from?"

Let's see, on my mom's side, it's pretty normal, and on my dad's… I don't know much about that part of my family, and I can't even remember my dad. The sound of a Pokémon being released from its pokéball snapped me back to reality. It was another Drowzee. I sighed as I sent Rain out to battle it. Surf was able to severely weaken the Drowzee, but it countered with a Confusion, which didn't hurt Rain much. Rain finished it off with an Ice Beam.

I switched my Pokémon, sending out Dream this time. The dragon Pokémon started the battle with Slam, slamming her long tail against the opposing Hypno. It hurt Hypno quite a bit, but it retaliated with a Headbutt. It hurt Dream a little, so I had her use Twister. However, the attack caused little damage to Hypno, who used Confusion, successfully confusing Dream. Dream managed to use Dragon Rage, causing Hypno to faint.

"Where there is light, there is shadow," said the Juggler with an oddly calm voice. "Light and shadow! Which do you choose?"

"I thought that was obvious," I said, walking away to challenge the next trainer.

The other gym trainer, who happened to be a Tamer, noticed me right away, already grabbing a pokéball.

"Stop right there," he said, using his free hand to make a "stop" gesture. "The famed invisible walls of Fuchsia Gym have you frustrated?"

"Not really," I replied, sending out Rain to battle.

The Tamer followed suit, sending out a Sandslash. Rain began with Surf, which quickly made Sandslash faint. The Tamer then sent out an Arbok, who was defeated by Rain's Psychic.

"You impressed me," he said, obviously sincere. "Here's a hint! Look very closely for gaps in the invisible walls!"

I nodded, even though I already knew that. I made my way out of the gym so I could heal up my Pokémon before challenging Koga. I dashed over to the Pokémon Center and dashed back to the gym in about five minutes. Using the invisible wall as a guide, I found the way to Koga. His hair was a spiky black, and he looked to be in his 40's or something. He was wearing what I think is a black and red kimono, but the male style. He also wore a short red cape with black boots. He began laughing when he saw me.

"A mere child like you dares to challenge me," he asked, holding back his laughter. "The very idea makes me shiver with mirth!"

"Hey, I know I'm not the first one to challenge you," I said, annoyed that he called me a child. "And like the two guys before me, I'm taking you down!"

Koga raised an eyebrow, his face suddenly serious.

"Very well," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I shall show you the true terror as a ninja master. Poison brings steady doom. Sleep renders foes helpless. Despair to the creeping horror of Poison-type Pokémon!"

He suddenly pulled out a pokéball and threw it, releasing a Koffing. I tossed Rain's pokéball, sending him out to battle. Rain attacked Koffing with Psychic, causing the Pokémon to faint. Both Koga and I switched out our Pokémon, he sending out a Muk while I sent out Terra. Terra quickly used Magnitude, which happened to be strong enough to defeat the purple slime Pokémon. I sent out Rain again, and Koga sent out another Koffing. However, the Koffing was no match against Rain's Psychic. Koga sent out his last Pokémon, which happened to be a Weezing. Rain used another Psychic that severely weakened Weezing, who used Smokescreen to make it difficult for Rain to attack.

I had Rain use another Psychic, but Koga used a Hyper Potion to heal Weezing. Rain used another Psychic, but missed while Koga healed Weezing again. I growled in frustration and ordered Rain to use another Psychic, this time successfully hitting Weezing. The weakened Weezing attacked with Sludge, which hurt Rain quite a bit. Rain finally finished off Weezing with Psychic, bringing the battle to an end.

"You have proven your worth," said Koga, returning his faint Weezing to its pokéball. "Here, take the Soul Badge!"

He reached into the pocket of his kimono, and pulled out a pink, heart-shaped badge. He handed it to me, which I quickly put away in my special badge case.

"Now that you have the Soul Badge," continued Koga. "The Defense of your Pokémon rises. It also lets you Surf outside of battle. Take this, too!"

He picked up a black bag that was lying on the floor nearby, taking out a TM and giving it to me. I put the cd in the TM Case where it belonged.

"Wow, thanks," I said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Sealed within that TM lies Toxic," explained Koga, also smiling. "It is a secret technique dating back some four hundred years ago. When afflicted by Toxic, a Pokémon suffers more and more. It suffers worsening damage as the battle wears on! It will surely terrorize foes!"

"Um, okay," I said, backing away.

I power-walked out of the gym and went outside. All right! Another gym badge in the bag! Now I just need to get the last three badges.

"You beat him, right," asked a calm voice that made me jump. It turned out to be Red, who was leaning against the gym's sign.

"You got that right," I said, quickly digging through my bag and taking out my badge case to show Red. "See? I finally got the fifth badge!"

"That's good, but we have to head over to Saffron now. We're should have won the sixth badge by now."

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault that you're behind," I said, shoving the case in my bag. "If I'm slowing you down, just go on without me! I can take care of myself! Really, how many times do I have to say it?"

"I know that you can take care of yourself," said Red, his voice remaining calm.

I was, at first, a little surprised, yet happy. Finally, he understands that I'm capable of fending for myself.

"Then there's no point in you staying with me," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "You pretty much have no reason to be traveling with me, especially if you're going to be complaining about me slowing you down."

"Your mom did ask me to—"

"Don't bring that up," I interrupted, walking up to Red and looking him in the eyes. "I made it very clear to her yesterday that she didn't have to ask someone to babysit me. So, what other reason do you have? You need someone to hold your hand while you make your journey or something?"

Red actually looked intimidated by me, which was really shocking. I didn't think of him as someone who could be intimidated, let alone be intimidated by me of all people. I always saw him as the kind of person who would stay calm no matter what, even in the face of danger. If he happened to be afraid, he just didn't let anyone know of it. Looking into his dark brown eyes, I could tell that he really wanted to look away, but knew that he shouldn't. I don't get it. He has the freedom to go as he pleases, winning badges at his own pace. Why would he hang around me if it meant being held back? Why would he _want_ to be held back when he could so easily be far ahead of me like Blue?

"Why are you staying with me," I asked, keeping my voice strong.

I stared at him intently, waiting for his answer. He looked like he wanted to say something, but would rather stay silent. Almost as if the answer would be something I'd hate to hear. After what I believe to be a minute, he finally looked away.

"We should get to Saffron now," he said, releasing Fearow from his pokéball. I watched as he climbed on top of the large bird and took off into the sky, flying in the direction of Saffron City. He obviously didn't want to tell me his reasons. Not yet, at least. I released Breeze from his pokéball and had him fly me to Saffron as well. I have to make up for all the time I spent training my Pokémon the last three days. It only took ten minutes to get to the large city of Saffron. When arrived in the city, I went straight to the Pokémon Center to heal up my Pokémon. They needed it after that battle with Koga.

When that was done, I looked around the city for the gym. After a couple minutes of wandering, I found the gym near the corner of the city. The sign near it read, "Sabrina: The Master of Psychic Pokémon." There was even a dojo right next door to it. That wasn't the only thing I found. Red was there, too, looking at the dojo as if considering checking it out first before taking on the gym.

"What are you waiting for," I asked him with annoyed tone. "If you're going to go inside, then do it."

He didn't look at me, but went inside the dojo. I figured I should check it out, too. It wouldn't hurt to see what was inside. I knew I should be surprised, but that's exactly what I felt when I saw the five karate guys there. There were two on each side, with one guy in the center.

"I'll take on the guys on the right," I said, walking up to the first karate guy there.

"You're trespassing in our Fighting Dojo," said the Blackbelt angrily.

"Oh, I thought it was public property," I said, sending out Breeze to battle.

The Blackbelt sent out a Machop, who was no match against Breeze's Wing Attack. He then sent out a Mankey. However, Mankey also fainted from Wing Attack. That's when the Blackbelt sent out his last Pokémon, a Primeape. I had Breeze use Fly, helping Breeze to evade Primeape's attack and striking the Fighting-type Pokémon.

"The prime fighters across the land train here," said the Blackbelt.

Okay, good to know. I moved on to the next guy, who seemed prepared to fight me.

"I have no fear for anything tough," he said, striking a battle pose. "I shatter boulders for training every day!"

That's pretty impressive. The guy tossed a pokéball that released a Primeape. I ordered Breeze to use Fly, which was more than enough to defeat Primeape.

"The only thing that frightens us is psychic power," said the Blackbelt, returning his Primeape to its pokéball.

Hm, maybe that's why this gym isn't part of the Indigo League. I looked over at Red, who had just defeated the second Blackbelt on the left side. We walked up to the last Blackbelt, who stepped forward to meet us. He looked pretty fired up, giving me the feeling that he would battle either me or Red.

"I am the Karate Master," he said rather loudly. "I am the leader here! You both wish to challenge us? Expect no mercy!"

He threw two pokéballs, sending two strange looking Pokémon. They were both brown, but one had slanted eyes, no mouth, and long legs. The other looked like he had a weird, spiked hairstyle and had boxing gloves on his hands. Red and I looked at each other for a brief moment before sending out Breeze and Fearow. I had Breeze use Wing Attack on Hitmonlee while Red had Fearow use Drill Peck on Hitmonchan. Breeze slammed his wings against the opposing Pokémon as Fearow pecked at Hitmonchan with his powerful beak. Both opponents fainted from the attacks. The Blackbelt looked surprised for a second, until giving us a serious look.

"Indeed, I have lost," he said, calling back his faint Pokémon. "But, I beseech you, do not take our emblem as your trophy!"

What the heck was this guy talking about? I didn't want the emblem from here. I wanted the gym badge that was next door.

"In return," continued the Blackbelt, pointing to two pokéballs behind him. "I will give you a prized Fighting Pokémon! Choose whichever one you like!"

"Wow, we did it, Red," I said, looking up at him. I offered my hand to him, causing him to look at me curiously. Sure, I was kind of angry at him a couple minutes before, but that didn't mean I couldn't thank him for his help. After all, our teamwork defeated the Karate Master. Red then took my hand in his own, shaking it slowly. In that moment, I finally understood why he was with me on this journey. I can't believe I didn't realize it before. Jeez, I'm a total idiot. Red let go of my hand and walked up to the pokéball on the right.

"Is it all right if I take Hitmonchan," he asked me.

"Yeah, go ahead," I said, walking up to the other pokéball and picking it up. We walked out of the dojo and back into the sunlight of the day.

"Red," I began, looking over at him. "I know why you're staying with me."

His head turned so fast at that, I thought that he would probably get whiplash from the action. The look on his face was that of astonishment. Damn, was it that much of an attention-getter?

"You do," he asked, as if the very idea was unbelievable.

"Yeah, I sure do," I said with a smile. "The reason you're with me is because you didn't want me to be by myself, right?"

The astonished look on his face didn't go away, so I think I hit the nail on the head.

"See, we didn't hang out much as kids," I explained. "Especially after that thing with Blue. So, when we got our first Pokémon, you used the opportunity to be my friend again. Am I right?"

Red looked away for a moment, and then turned his attention back to me.

"Yes, you are," he said, a small smile on his lips.

"I'm glad that it's you with me on this adventure. And I'm really happy that we're friends again. Do you forgive me for being mad at you earlier?"

"Of course," he replied with a small nod.

"Great," I said cheerfully. "Now, how about we go get that sixth badge?"

We took a few steps toward the gym next door until I stopped. I just realized that I didn't have any Pokémon that could give me an advantage over Sabrina.

"Um, Red? How about you go first," I offered. "I need to do a little more training to make sure my Pokémon are ready for this gym."

"All right then."

I watched as Red entered the gym, leaving me to do a little quick training. I pulled out my bike and rode off towards the eastern gate of Saffron so I could train in Route 8. I spent a good 20 minutes there, battling some trainers there to get more experience for my Pokémon. I might not have a Pokémon with a type advantage over Psychic-types but I know that Psychic-types have rather low defenses. Terra, Dream, and Breeze have good attack power so that should be enough to defeat Sabrina. I hope…

I rode back to Saffron City on my bike so that I could challenge Sabrina. Besides, I was sure that Red had already won the sixth badge. I have to do this right away so we can head over to… Wait, where was the seventh gym at? Ugh, I can figure that out later. I bet Red knows where it is, though. When I was back in Saffron, I rode up to the gym and put away my bike. I stepped inside, wondering if Red had left or is still in the gym somewhere.

"Hey," I said, calling out to the guy there who was standing next to the gym statues. "Did a guy with a red hat pass by?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah," said the man. "You just missed him. He's gone off somewhere."

I nodded, and then noticed a strange looking tile on the floor to the right of the gym statue. I wonder what that was. I touched it with the tip of my shoe, but nothing happened. Since nothing happened, I figured it was safe to stand on it. When I did that, the room suddenly disappeared and I ended up in a completely different room. There was a gym trainer nearby, who had already noticed me. He was wearing a strange blue jumpsuit, and had pokéballs floating around him. He walked up to me, a pokéball floating into his hand.

"Sabrina is young, but she's also our highly skilled leader," said the Psychic. "You won't reach her easily!"

He tossed the pokéball while I quickly tossed Terra's pokéball. A Slowpoke and Dugtrio appeared, ready to battle. Aw, shit. Terra shouldn't be battling Water-types. However, I let Terra battle the Slowpoke by using Magnitude, which caused the opposing Pokémon to faint. I then switched out my Pokémon, sending Static out. The Psychic sent out another Slowpoke, who didn't stand a chance against Static's Thunderbolt. His last Pokémon, a Slowbro, was sent out to battle Static. Thunderbolt was enough to defeat it and end the battle.

"There used to be two Pokémon Gyms in Saffron," said the Psychic after paying me my winning money. "The Fighting Dojo next door lost its gym status, though. We simply creamed them when we decided to have just one gym."

If that was bragging, it was really uncalled for. I looked over at the square blue tile that was a few steps away from the one I came from. So, this gym also has teleportation tiles like Silph. I stepped on the tile that I was looking at, which took me to another room. Another Psychic saw me, who quickly walked up to me as if eager to battle.

"You understand, don't you," he asked, his voice calm. "That power alone isn't enough to win in the world of Pokémon?"

"Of course, I do," I said, grabbing Terra's pokéball. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

He only smirked as he sent out a Mr. Mime. I had Terra start off the battle with Dig, enabling her to evade Mr. Mime's incoming attack and attack herself. I switched Terra out with Dream as the Psychic sent out a Kadabra. Dream immediately attacked with Slam, causing Kadabra to faint from the blow.

"I don't believe this," said the Psychic, looking very aggravated as he called back his faint Kadabra. It looked like he noticed his outburst and quickly composed himself.

"Sabrina just wiped out the Karate Master next door," he added, turning around.

Again, that seemed uncalled for. I shrugged and went to the tile that was directly horizontal from the one I came from. In the next room, the Psychic there looked like he was meditating. I walked up to him and stood there, waving my hand in front of his face. Well, since he's so focused on meditating, I should probably—

"Does our unseen power scare you," he suddenly asked, startling me.

"As if," I said, grabbing Terra's pokéball and tossing it.

The Psychic followed suit, sending out a Kadabra. However, Kadabra couldn't stand up to Terra's Magnitude. I switched my Pokémon, sending Static out. The next Pokémon to battle was a Slowpoke, which was brought down quickly with Thunderbolt. I then switched out Static with Dream to battle against the Mr. Mime the Psychic sent out. Dream attacked Mr. Mime with Slam, successfully causing the Pokémon to faint. The Psychic sent out his last Pokémon, another Kadabra. Dream's Slam was able to defeat it easily.

"Psychic Pokémon fear only ghosts and bugs," said the Psychic as he paid me my winning money.

"I don't know about bugs, but I can definitely understand why they're afraid of ghosts," I said, stuffing the money in my bag.

I shuddered at the memory of Pokémon Tower. I had a feeling that I would get bad karma eventually, and it came in the form of Pokémon Tower. I pushed the thought away and walked over to the tile that was diagonally across from where I came from. The tile teleported me to a room with a priestess in it. Oh, great… Another reminder of Pokémon Tower. She slowly walked up to me, looking quite pleased.

"You and I, our Pokémon shall battle," she said, sending out a Gastly.

Good thing that she wasn't possessed like certain other priestesses. But, I wasn't happy to see that Ghost-type Pokémon again. I tossed Dream's pokéball and had her use Twister, which greatly weakened Gastly. The ghost Pokémon countered with Night Shade, hurting Dream quite a bit. Another Twister finished off the Gastly. I switched out Dream and sent out Rain while the priestess sent out another Gastly. Rain's Psychic proved to be very strong against Gastly, making me feel somewhat relieved. The priestess then sent out her last Pokémon, which was a Haunter. I had Rain use another Psychic, which caused the Haunter to faint.

"I knew that this was going to take place," said the priestess with a sigh.

I went to the tile that was diagonally across from the tile I was on a while ago. I ended up in another room with a priestess. She stared intently at me before walking towards me.

"Pokémon take on the appearance of their trainers," she said, her voice somewhat raspy. "Your Pokémon must be tough then!"

I grabbed Rain's pokéball and released him while the priestess sent out a Haunter. However, the battle ended very quickly thanks to Rain's Psychic.

"I have much to learn still," said the priestess with disappointment. "I must master Psychic and teach it to my Pokémon."

I moved on from there by stepping on the tile that was just above the one I entered the room from. And yet another priestess was in the next room. I walked right up to her so that we could the battle over with.

"Sabrina is far younger than I," said the priestess. "But she has earned my respect."

What is it with people giving me weird information out of nowhere? The priestess sent out a typical Gastly while I sent out Rain. Rain quickly defeated the Gastly, causing the priestess to send out her Haunter. Though, Haunter was also defeated by Psychic.

"In a battle of equals, the one with the stronger will wins," explained the priestess. "If you wish to beat Sabrina, focus and will yourself to victory."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said, walking toward the top-right teleport tile.

This time, I was in a room with another Psychic. He immediately saw me, walking very fast towards me.

"Saffron Pokémon Gym is famous for training psychics," he said excitedly. "You want to see Sabrina, don't you? I can tell!"

The Psychic, using his telekinetic powers, threw a pokéball, which released a Slowbro. I threw Dream's pokéball so she could battle against Slowbro. Dream attacked Slowbro with Slam, weakening him. Slowbro countered with Headbutt, hurting Dream a little. Dream then used Dragon Rage, weakening Slowbro further. The opposing Pokémon used Headbutt again, but it didn't do much damage to Dream. Another Dragon Rage had the Slowbro severely weakened. However, Slowbro had used Disable, which made Dream incapable of using Dragon Rage. I had Dream finish off the Slowbro with Twister, bringing the battle to an end.

After the Psychic had paid me the reward money, I stood on the tile that was at the bottom left of the room. This one ended up taking me to Sabrina's room. I froze for a moment and went back to the previous room. I made my way through the rooms until I was out of the gym. I ran to the Pokémon Center to get my Pokémon healed up before battling Sabrina. When that was done, I went back to the gym and found my way back to Sabrina's room. Sabrina just stood there with her eyes closed, as if focusing entirely on meditation.

Her hair was long and so black that it gave off a blue shine. She was wearing a red long-sleeved turtleneck that exposed her mid-riff and white gloves on her hands. She had a black shirt underneath to cover herself up. She also wore a red skirt over black pants and red boots. She seems kind of conservative on her looks.

"I had a vision of your arrival," said Sabrina, her eyes still closed.

"Whoa! Really," I asked, walking up to her. "How did you do that?"

"I have had psychic powers since I was a child," she replied, opening her eyes to look at me. "It started when a spoon I carelessly tossed, bent."

"That's cool and all, but I came here to battle you so I could get that badge of yours."

"I dislike battling," she said, glaring at me. "But if you wish, I will show you my powers!"

Using her telekinetic powers, she tossed a pokéball that released a Kadabra while I sent Terra out to battle against it. I had Terra use Dig, which Kadabra took advantage of by using Calm Mind. However, when Terra attacked with Dig, Kadabra fainted from the attack. Sabrina then sent out a Mr. Mime, who was immediately attacked by Terra's Magnitude. It weakened Mr. Mime quite a bit, but it was still standing. Another Magnitude was enough to make it faint. I switched my Pokémon, Sabrina doing the same, and sent out Flare. Venomoth was the next opponent, but it couldn't stand up to Flare's Flamethrower.

Okay, so far, so good. I switched out Flare with Terra and readied myself for Sabrina's next Pokémon. Her final Pokémon was an Alakazam, the final evolution of Kadabra. This might be a little tough. From what I hear, Alakazam is a powerful Psychic-type Pokémon. I took a deep breath and ordered Terra to use Magnitude. The move weakened Alakazam a lot, but it wasn't enough to defeat it. Alakazam used Calm Mind to strengthen itself. I had Terra use another Magnitude to finish off Alakazam, who took the full power of the attack. Alakazam fainted from it, ending the battle.

"This loss shocks me," said Sabrina, returning Alakazam to its pokéball. "But, a loss is a loss. I admit, I didn't work hard enough to win. Your victory has earned you the Marsh Badge."

She reached into her back pocket, taking a slim black case. She opened it, revealing many badges within, and used her powers to take out a badge to give me. I extended my hand out, and she placed the Marsh Badge in my palm. I hastily grabbed my own badge case, and placed the new badge in its place by the Soul Badge.

"The Marsh Badge makes stronger Pokémon you receive in trades obey you," explained Sabrina as we put away our cases. "Stronger Pokémon will become wild, ignoring your orders in battle. Just don't raise your Pokémon too much to avoid that problem."

"I'll be sure to remember that," I said, taking a few steps back.

"Wait, please take this TM with you," said Sabrina, using her psychic powers to take a cd case from a small stack of TMs by the wall. She brought the levitating TM to me, which I accepted and placed in my TM Case.

"Psychic power isn't something that only a few people have," continued Sabrina. "Everyone has psychic power. People just don't realize it. That TM is Calm Mind. It makes the Pokémon concentrate to raise both its attacks and defenses."

"Oh, thanks," I said, waving goodbye to her. "I have to get going now because my friend is eager to get to the next gym."

I managed to find my way back to the entrance of the gym so that I could continue on with my journey. Two badges in one day! That should make up for the time spent training. Although, I was more excited by the fact that I only needed two more badges now. Then I can go challenge the Elite Four. It's still probably a long way off until then, but I will definitely make it there and prove to Blue that I was better than him.

* * *

_**A/N: This was supposed to up sooner but Thanksgiving week was very distracting... Oh, Red, what are you lying for? Hm, a while back, I was rereading this whole story to see how it was progressing. There was one very noticeable thing I picked up from that. The story started off with a "SUPER EFFECTIVE" (a webcomic by Scott Ramsoomair) feel to it, but bloomed into something else. So, what kind of story is it now? Well, I'd say that it has become a story about self-worth since Leaf wants to prove herself to Red and Blue. It has been exactly one year since I first created this story. I want to thank all the readers and reviewers for taking the time to, well, read and review this story. I'd also like to thank you all for being so patient with me while waiting for updates. I hope that you've enjoyed "Critical Hit" and that you continue to enjoy it.**_


	19. Secret of the Seafoam Islands

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

"Ah, feels kind of good to be back in Fuchsia City," I said, stretching my arms over my head. After defeating Sabrina, I joined up with Red again, and we flew back to Fuchsia City. He told me that the next gym is on Cinnabar Island, a little island that was south of Pallet Town. At the moment, we were heading to the eastern gate of Fuchsia because one of Professor Oak's aides was there.

"We're not going to be here for very long," said Red, looking straight at the road.

"You know," I said, putting my arms down from stretching. "It's not like you have to get all the badges at a specific amount of time. There's no time limit."

"I already know that. I just don't want to be behind Blue all the time."

I'm sure he already noticed that Blue's name has been on every gym statue that we've come across. Not only had he caught more Pokémon than us, but he had also beaten us to all the gyms so far. I guess Red wants to get ahead of Blue.

"Well, there's no harm in stopping to smell the flowers," I added as we entered the gate. We went up the stairs to the second floor, and, sure enough, there was an aide there. He saw us and smiled, waving at us to come over. I have to admit that it's kind of creepy how all the gates have pretty much the same design. Or maybe the poor sap who designed them didn't have much creativity.

"Ah, you came back," he began, looking pleased with himself. "If your Pokédexes have complete data on 50 species, I'm supposed to give you a gift. So, have you gathered data on at least 50 kinds of Pokémon?"

"Sure thing," I replied, showing him my Pokédex as Red did the same. The aide looked them over and nodded.

"Congratulations," said the aide, grabbing two bags by the table and handing them to us. "Here you go!"

I looked in the bag and took out a strange metal device with yellow orbs on it. It sort of looked like a helmet. I put it away in my bag as Red put his in his backpack.

"Exp. Share is an item to be held by a Pokémon," explained the aide, taking the now-empty bags from us. "The Pokémon will receive a share of the experience without having to battle."

"So, this will make training weaker Pokémon a lot easier," I asked to make sure.

"Correct, and it helps to keep the Pokémon from getting hurt in battle."

"Thanks! We'll put it to good use."

"I have to say that you two have come a long way already," said the aide, an impressed look on his face. "How many badges have you obtained so far?"

"We have six badges," replied Red. "We're on our way to Cinnabar Island to get the seventh badge."

"Cinnabar Island? In that case, why don't you go there from Pallet Town? It'll definitely make the trip a lot easier for the both of you instead of going through the Seafoam Islands."

"We'll do that then," said Red, walking away.

"Eh," I asked, looking from Red to the aide. "Uh, thanks for everything. Wait, Red!"

I ran after Red, who was already going down the stairs. I managed to catch up with him once we were outside again, walking down one of the streets of Fuchsia City.

"Jeez, Red, what's your hurry," I asked him. "I mean, I know that you want to get ahead of Blue, but it's not good to be rushing through things."

He stopped walking, causing me to stop as well, and stared at me. I noticed that we had stopped right in front of the Slowpoke's pen of the zoo.

"You could say that it's ambition," he answered, though his voice was rather faint.

Ah… He wanted to be the best of the best. At least, I think that's what he wants. From what I've seen, Red does have great talent with training Pokémon. Maybe he's destined for greatness. But, what am I destined for then?

"Red, it's okay if you want to get to the top as fast as you can," I said to him. "But, you have to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then, you have to take it step by step, even if they're small or big steps."

"That was unexpectedly wise," commented Red, earning a punch in the arm from me.

"Ugh, what's with people thinking I'm an idiot," I huffed, turning my back to Red. "So, what are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to head over to Pallet Town and get to Cinnabar Island from there," he replied.

"Really? I was thinking of heading to the Seafoam Islands and checking them out."

"You're not coming with me?"

"Hey, you make your choices, and I'll make mine. We have different goals so our decisions will be different, I think."

"I see… What's with the sudden wisdom?"

"I don't know. Maybe I've grown throughout this journey. Do you remember what I said in Cerulean City?"

I watched as Red took a moment to remember the events in Cerulean City and give a slight nod.

"I think I really am becoming a better person for my Pokémon," I continued, looking up at the clouds in the sky. "I don't know where I could have been if I didn't start this adventure. And, the best part is that I don't think it's nowhere close to the end."

"Leaf?"

"Hm," I said, turning to look at Red.

"There's something I have to tell you, but I'm not sure how to say it."

"What is it?"

I was curious. He looked kind of flustered as he tried to tell me what had to be said. It's not often that he's at a loss for words, which is saying something being how quiet he usually is. Though, I don't really understand what it is he's nervous about. It's not like I was going to beat him up or anything.

"I know that we're friends now," began Red, looking down at his feet. "I'm glad that we are, and I hope we can stay that way."

"Okay," I said, a little unsure of what else to say. He's kind of freaking me out. Was something wrong with him? Was he sick? Or did I do something wrong?

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that I li—"

"Pocky! Come get your pocky," yelled somebody walking by. It turned out to be a guy holding a big box, which had a strap that was around the back of the man's neck, filled with smaller boxes of pocky.

"Oh, pocky," I said excitedly, walking up to the man. "What flavors do you have?"

"Just the classics: Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry," he replied, turning to let me see. "What would you like?"

"Chocolate!"

"A sweet tooth, eh? All right, that'll be $3," he said, extending his hand to receive money. I looked into my bag and dug through the pocket that had all my money. I paid him the required amount, and he handed me the box of pocky. I walked back to Red, who seemed kind of disappointed.

"You okay," I asked, walking to him and staring up at him.

"Yeah," he answered in a really low voice, his eyes looking away from mine.

"You don't look okay," I added, tip-toeing to get a better look at him. Maybe he really is sick. I mean, his face was getting red and I could see some sweat at the sides of his hair. He finally made eye contact with me, but that didn't last long since his eyes looked instead at our hats, which happened to be touching. He suddenly turned away, taking a step back as well.

"Holy crap! You're sick, aren't you," I said, feeling a little panicky. "I think you're getting a fever! Let's go take you to a doctor and—"

"It's not a fever," interrupted Red, who had taken off his hat and was fanning himself with it.

"Are you sure? 'Cause it looks like a fever to me."

"I'm sure."

"If you say so… Oh! What were you going to say earlier? You know, before that salesman interrupted."

"It's… Not important."

I just shrugged, putting my hands up a little in the air.

"It seemed pretty important but whatever. Really, you can be weird sometimes, Red."

I looked down to realize that I was holding my newly purchased box of pocky.

"Hey, Red," I started, showing him the box. "Want to eat some pocky with me?"

He looked taken back by my question, as if I had requested something outrageous from him. It's just eating pocky… What's the big deal?

"No," he replied, regaining his composure. "If I remember correctly, you have an odd way of eating that."

"What? No, I don't! I'm just eating it the way my mom showed me."

"Which is still weird."

"All right, fine," I said, opening the box and taking out one of the biscuit sticks. "Here, you can eat this on your own."

He accepted and began to eat it. I really don't see how weird my way of eating pocky is. My mom would eat them the same way with my dad, and he wasn't bothered by it. In fact, it's because of them that I eat it similarly. One of the very few memories I have of my dad. I looked over at Red, who had the pocky stick in his mouth and was looking over at the Slowpoke nearby. I walked up to him and bit off the end of the pocky that wasn't in his mouth.

"Man, I haven't had pocky in a long time," I said, chewing the sweet treat. "They taste great as usual."

After I had swallowed the delicious sweet, I noticed that Red's back was facing me. From what I could see, he had his hand to his forehead, but I wasn't too sure about that. Was he getting another fever?

"Red, are you okay," I said, a little worried if he really was sick.

"I'm fine," he answered, grabbing a pokéball. "I'll be heading over to Pallet Town now."

He tossed the pokéball and released Fearow. He climbed onto the large bird's back and flew off, heading west. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Red was trying to avoid me. He's acting like I have cooties or something. But, he's fifteen so I highly doubt that he even believes in cooties, not that he ever did. Maybe he's just really eager to get that seventh badge? Yeah, knowing him, that's probably it.

I sighed and made my way to the Pokémon Center. It's inconvenient that the only way to get to Route 19 was to go by the Pokémon Center, which was on top of a ledge. It would have been better if it was in the middle of the city. I guess life is hardly ever fair. As I walked on the sand, I kept my eyes on the ocean, which was slowly getting larger the closer I got. Eventually, I was facing the sea, a vast blue that stretched for miles. There weren't any waves, just a calm tide that pushed and pulled over the sand. I observed carefully so that I could spot the Seafoam Islands. It was in the west, not too far away from where I was. I could probably get there in ten minutes or so. I grabbed Rain's pokéball, and released him from the ball. He appeared over the water and looked very happy to be there.

"Rain, can you take me over to those islands," I asked him, pointing to the Seafoam Islands.

The Lapras nodded slowly and turned around, allowing me to ride on his back. I climbed on, careful not to slide off, and sat down on Rain's shell. Well, it was one of his spikes to be exact. Thank goodness that they were blunted and not pointy and sharp. Rain looked back at me to ensure that I was seated before moving. When he was sure that I wouldn't fall off, he began to swim slowly. I looked around excitedly as we traveled further away from the land. Occasionally, I would see a Tentacool pop up from the water, watching us as we swam by.

Suddenly, a guy appeared out of the water, surprising both Rain and I. I really wasn't expecting a guy out here in the middle of the ocean. Wait, what the hell is this guy doing all the way out here? I don't think he's looking for buried treasure because I don't see a boat around. He's probably just swimming around since all he had was swimming speedo and a swim cap.

"Uh, what are you doing out here," I couldn't help but ask him.

"I tried diving for Pokémon, but it was a no-go," he said, looking a little disappointed. "But then I saw you and wanted to battle. So, let's battle!"

He suddenly pulled out a pokéball—who knows where he was keeping that—and tossed it, sending out a Goldeen. I sent out Static, but had released on top of Rain's shell. I had Rain turn a little so that Static could have a better view of his opponent.

"Okay, Static," I said, coming up with a quick strategy. "Use Thunderbolt, but try not to electrocute Rain and I in the process!"

Static gave a small nod before unleashing a powerful electric shock to Goldeen. The attack caused the poor fish Pokémon to faint. Hm, now that I think about it… How come the electricity didn't travel through Goldeen into the water and electrocute everyone? Well, I haven't taken a Physics class yet so I don't really know the reason for this. The swimmer sent out his next Pokémon, which was a Shellder. Another Thunderbolt was enough to take it out. The final Pokémon the swimmer sent out was a Seaking. Like its teammates, it fainted from Static's Thunderbolt.

"Damn, I lost," said the swimmer, returning his faint Seaking to its pokéball. "Hold on, I'll get you your money."

"Um, that's not necessary," I said, doing my best to not think where he keeps his money.

"Really? All right then," he said with a shrug.

I sighed in relief, and then I had Rain move on. Unfortunately, there were a couple more swimmers, both male and female, ahead of us. Something tells me that it's going to be far more than ten minutes to get to the Seafoam Islands.

* * *

"F-Finally," I said, hopping off Rain's shell. It took us a total of thirty minutes to get to the islands, and that's not counting the three times I had to head back to Fuchsia to heal my Pokémon. Rain looked kind of tired from all the trips so I returned him to his pokéball. I'll give him a good long rest while I explore the islands. The islands themselves were two large peaks on golden sand. Well, that's what it looked like, anyway. I walked to the further peak, gazing at the mountain-like island.

A cave was in the left peak, and I slowly entered. Inside, it was very cool, giving me goosebumps on my legs. Damn, I should have packed some pants… If I had any. I noticed a large boulder on the right side of the cave. I walked over to it and spotted a hole in the floor close to the boulder. I stared from the boulder to the hole and back again. Well, I don't think I can refuse the impulse to push that boulder into the hole. Then again, my body isn't strong enough to do that myself. I grabbed Flare's pokéball and tossed it, releasing him so he can help me.

"Flare, think you can push that boulder to that hole over there," I asked him, pointing to the hole.

The Charizard stared briefly at the boulder, and then let out a low growl. He gripped the boulder from the sides and pushed it. He gave it one last push when it was in front of the hole. The boulder fell, and I tried to listen for the sound of impact on the floor beneath us. For some reason, I couldn't hear anything.

"Come on, Flare," I said, signaling him to follow me. "Let's see if we can find any more boulders!"

We traveled through the cave, passing by a ladder that leads to the floor below. I'll get back to that later. Ahead of us, there was another boulder. This one was closer to the hole in this part of the room. Flare effortlessly pushed the large rock until it fell in the hole as well. I went down the ladder nearby, Flare flying down instead. On this floor, we found the boulder we had just recently dropped. Flare pushed the boulder again, pushing it to another hole that was here. With the boulder gone, we went back up the ladder since there was nothing else to do on this floor.

Now, time to get to that ladder we passed by earlier. Flare and I went back to the previous ladder and went back to the second floor. We walked over to the left side of the room. We were on top of a raised area, and I saw the first boulder Flare had pushed earlier. This time, it was conveniently in front of the hole. Flare flew down and pushed the boulder into the hole, and then flew back to join me. We passed by another ladder, but I wanted to thoroughly check out the area before heading to the next floor below. We went back the way we came, but took the left path instead.

There was another ladder at the end of the path so Flare and I went down to the next floor. On the third floor, it felt colder than the other floors I've been on. I stayed close to Flare as we explored the confined area we were in. On the other side of the room, the same boulder from before was there. It's kind of annoying seeing the same boulders over and over. I had Flare push the boulder—hopefully, for the last time—and we went back up to the second floor. We made our way back to the ladder we had passed by earlier and went back to the third floor from there.

We ended up on another raised area that split into two different paths. I chose to follow the right one first. There was another ladder there, and we headed down to the fourth floor. On the fourth floor, I noticed that it was getting colder the lower we went. I was shivering a little already, and I was worried how much more the temperature would drop. I mentally shook my head, doing my best to keep my mind off the cold. I looked around and saw that there were more boulders to be pushed, which Flare had also noticed. Both Flare and I sighed at the sight of the large rocks. We walked over to them and set to work.

This time, however, there was more of a strategy to push the boulders. It wasn't so difficult to figure out how to move them. A pair of boulders was sitting together, while another was sitting a few steps away from the hole. I had Flare push the right one all the way to the back, and then push the left one step towards me. Then, he pushed it to his right another step, and went to push the other boulder—the one that was in front of the hole—out of the way to the right. He went back to pushing the previous boulder and lined it up in front of the hole. He went around and finally pushed it through the hole. When that was done, we pushed another nearby boulder into its respective hole.

The water that was running through the room seemed rather strong. The surface of the water flowed roughly, the current obviously too strong to swim through. Flare and I backed off from the underground stream and explored what we could, discovering another ladder to climb down.

"Holy shit," I said, crossing my arms over my chest to keep warm. "It's freezing down here!"

Flare stood close to me, the fire on his tail providing warmth for me. Suddenly, we heard a loud cry echo through the cave. It sounded a lot like a bird screeching. Flare and I looked around for the source, but we couldn't see anything. We cautiously continued on until we found a ladder heading up. I figured it was worth checking out. We went up to the fourth floor, another ladder there that lead up to the third floor. On this section of the third floor, we found another boulder. It was probably the last one. Flare quickly pushed it into a hole nearby to get it done and over with.

Flare and I went back to the fifth floor since there was no other place to go. Besides, I want to find out what made that noise earlier. Near the ladder we had climbed down to earlier, the floor dipped to the calm water. I sent out Rain to help me get through the water. Rain looked a little tired, but was better than before. I climbed on his back while Flare flew above us. After quickly looking around, we found a small, raised piece of land. I wasn't sure what was there, but it was worth checking out. We arrived at the little "island," and I returned Rain to his pokéball. I had only taken a few steps when I saw it. A large blue bird with red eyes glared at me. Its feathers gave a shine to them, despite the dimness of the cave. It had a small crest of feathers on its head, and a very long tail.

It raised its large wings and screeched at me, causing me to take a step back out of fear. Flare suddenly landed in front of me, roaring at the hostile bird Pokémon. It didn't seem intimidated by the roar, which I found a little surprising. I shook my head and focused on what was going on.

"Use Flamethrower," I told Flare, who gave a quick nod.

Flare unleashed a powerful burst of fire from his mouth, hurting the opposing Pokémon. However, it wasn't enough to defeat it. Instead, it focused intently, probably doing something to raise its power or whatever. I quickly switched out my Pokémon and sent out Static. The large bird Pokémon didn't do anything, so I had Static use Thunder Wave to hinder it. I then had him follow up with Flash. It would be better if its accuracy was dropped. The Pokémon wasn't able to do anything due to paralysis, which made things easier. I took advantage of the Pokémon's status problems and had Static use Quick Attack to deal some more damage.

I didn't want this Pokémon to faint since it would be pretty useful to add to the Pokédex. I ordered Static to use another Quick Attack to weaken it more. When I was sure it was weak enough, I began to throw Ultra Balls at the bird, hoping one of them would catch the Pokémon. However, the bird Pokémon kept breaking free. The bastard ended up making me use up all my Ultra Balls on it. I then resorted to Great Balls, which might work. That resulted in me using up all my Great Balls, too. All I had left were regular pokéballs, a Net Ball, which wouldn't work, and my Master Ball, which I really don't plan on using. I sighed and began to throw my pokéballs at the Pokémon.

It started breaking out of those, too, which was really starting to worry me. I watched as it broke through every ball I threw at it. I was slowly running out, and I was hoping that it would eventually let itself get caught. Eventually, I was down to six pokéballs. I threw another one at the bird, which was drawn in to the ball. The ball fell to the floor and began to shake. It shook once, twice, and then three times.

"Come on," I said, clenching my hand into a fist. "Stay in the damn ball!"

A click sounded out from the ball as it suddenly went motionless.

"Finally," I sighed in relief, returning Static to his pokéball. I picked up the pokéball on the ground and put it away in my bag. While I was at it, I took out my Pokédex to see what it was. I scrolled through the pages of information until I found what I was looking for. The bird Pokémon turned out to be Articuno, one of the legendary birds. That would explain why it was so difficult to catch. Suddenly, I remembered when I was looking through the binoculars at the eastern gate of Fuchsia City. The large blue bird that was flying over the sea… Was it Articuno?

I think it was, even though I only saw Articuno briefly through the binoculars. I walked to the water's edge and sent out Rain to get me to the main area of the cave. I have no idea how much time has passed while I was in here. It took me over twenty minutes to get here, but I wasn't keeping track of time while I wandered around in the caves. Rain had brought me to back to the larger piece of land I was on before. I climbed up the ladder to the fourth floor and followed the path. However, the underground stream was calmer than it was before. I guess it's safe to cross now.

Rain helped me cross the short distance to the other side. There was another ladder there, and I climbed up to the third floor. On the third floor, the raised floor I was on didn't have anything except another ladder. I climbed up that ladder, ending up on the second floor. After climbing yet another ladder, which is probably the last one, I ended up back on the first floor. I looked around and saw sunlight pouring in through an exit. I ran straight towards it, feeling glad to feel the sun's warmth again. Right when I had left the cave, I ended up crashing into something, making me fall back.

"Ow," I said, rubbing my forehead. "What the…?"

I looked up and saw Red, who was also on the floor. He stood up and helped me up as well.

"Red? What are you doing here," I asked, a little surprised to see him.

"You were taking very long to get to Cinnabar Island," he explained, looking to the side. "I got a little worried about you."

"There's no need to worry," I said, smiling at him. "My Pokémon did a great job protecting me when I traveled through the islands. In fact, they helped me catch one of the legendary birds!"

Red looked very surprised at what I said, but the look changed into one of skepticism.

"Don't believe me," I asked, taking out my Pokédex. "My Pokédex has all the information on it, and I even have the pokéball in my bag, which I can show you when we get to Cinnabar Island."

Red took the Pokédex from me, reading the page on Articuno.

"You actually found and caught a legendary Pokémon," said Red, looking quite impressed.

"After catching Articuno, I think that the other legendary birds exist, too. We just have to find them."

"I'm sure you can find them."

There was assurance in his voice, making me feel confident that I really can find the rest.

"Let's head over to Cinnabar Island now," I said, sending out Rain.

Red nodded and sent out his Gyarados next to Rain. We hopped on our Pokémon and had them take us to Cinnabar Island. Well, for Red, he didn't have to do that since I'm sure he already arrived there. I could see Cinnabar in the distance, which grew larger the closer we got to it. After about five minutes, we arrived on the island. I breathed in deeply, remembering that I only needed two more badges.

* * *

_**A/N: ~I want to be the very best, that no one ever was~ It's all about being a master, am I right? Also, I really don't understand how battling in the middle of the sea works, especially if you're not using aquatic Pokemon. I mean, if you sent out a Graveler-Or worse, a Diglett-in the ocean, it's just going to sink in the water. And how come when you use Electric-type moves, it doesn't affect the water around the target Pokemon? People conduct electricity through them, and I think the same goes for Pokemon, except for maybe Ground-types. Game Freak, you fail Physics class forever. Do you want to know where the male swimmers keep their money in? It's in their... Swim caps! As for the female swimmers, I'd say in their bikini tops. But, my mind thinks of strippers if I imagine the female swimmers taking money out of their tops.**_


	20. Pokemon Mansion Confusion

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

"Okay, Articuno," I said, sitting in front of the Pokémon Center's PC. "Time to get in the PC."

I deposited Articuno in the PC, Red watching over my shoulder.

"Miss, your Pokémon are now fully healed," called out the nurse from the counter.

"Just in time," I said, logging off and getting up. I walked over to the nurse and clipped my pokéballs to my belt.

"Are you ready to leave now," asked Red, approaching me from the side.

"You bet," I replied, making sure my bag was secure over my shoulder. We walked out of the Pokémon Center and stepped into the warm air outside. I stretched my arms as the ocean breeze blew, feeling relaxed here. I looked over to my right and saw a large building. I turned to get a better look at it, feeling my heart beat rapidly in excitement as I read the sign next to it.

"Red! There's a Pokémon Lab! I want to go check it out," I said, tugging at his sleeve and pointing at the lab.

"Why are you so excited about it," he asked, a confused look in his eyes. "You never really liked science much."

"I don't know. Science class has always been boring, but this is different," I replied, walking over to the lab.

Red followed me as we entered the building, stepping onto white-tiled floor. Inside, there was a long hallway to the right, and a welcoming area in the front. The welcoming area had a few potted plants, a table, and a reception counter without the receptionist. They probably got fired. Red and I walked down the hall, slowly passing the rooms. The first room was the meeting room, which didn't seem to exciting. The second room was the R & D room, which also sounded kind of boring. The last room was the testing room, and that definitely seemed worth our while to check out.

In the third room, there were many computers on desks and large machines at the back. My eyes gazed at everything in wonder, taking in the entire room. My eyes eventually rested at a scientist who happened to be quickly scribbling something down on a notebook. He looked up from the paper and noticed us, a big grin already forming on his mouth.

"Hiya," he said, putting down the notebook on a table. "I am important doctor. Yes, very much so, indeed."

"Um, okay," I said, glancing at the notebook. There was a drawing of a Ponyta in it, and it was rather bad.

"Here, I study rare Pokémon fossils," explained the scientist. "All the time, I study. You! Have you a fossil for me?"

"Fossil," I asked in confusion. I thought for a moment and remembered the Dome Fossil I got in Mt. Moon so long ago. I reached into my bag and took it out, examining it for a little bit.

"I have this Dome Fossil," I said, showing the scientist.

"I have some amber," said Red, taking a round orange stone from his backpack.

"Where did you get that," I asked Red until the scientist swiped both my fossil and Red's amber from our hands.

"Oh! Dome Fossil and Old Amber," said the scientist, obviously excited. He held up our fossils, observing them for a moment with a focused face. His concentration faded into happiness as he already figured out what it was.

"It is fossils of Kabuto and Aerodactyl, Pokémon that are already extinct! My Resurrection Machine will make the Pokémon alive again," he said, pointing to the large machine behind him.

"Whoa, really? That would be awesome," I said, clenching my hands into fists in excitement.

"So! I take a little time! You go for walk a little while!"

He put his hands on our shoulders, and began to push us out of the room. Red and I stood there, a little dumbfounded as to what had just happened.

"Hey, how long do you think it's going to take," I asked Red, looking up at him.

"I'm not sure," he said, looking back at the room. "We should probably go ask him."

We walked back inside the room and approached the scientist again. He heard our footsteps and turned to see us. An annoyed look was on his face.

"You late," he said, tapping his foot on the floor. "Where were you? Your fossils are back to life! They were Kabuto and Aerodactyl like I think!"

He handed us a pokéball each, probably holding our respective Pokémon.

"Now, off you go! I got much work to do," said the scientist, picking up his notebook again. Red and I walked out of the room, curious about our new Pokémon.

"So, where did you get that amber from," I asked as we walked down the hall.

"When you were at the Seafoam Islands, I paid a visit to the Pewter City Museum," explained Red, pocketing the new pokéball in his vest. "A scientist there wanted me to take some amber and have it examined at a lab."

"Wait, did you go there just for the hell of it," I asked, remembering that meeting with that liar Miles.

"Yes, and so I could pass some time while I waited for you."

His eyes seemed to widen a little as if realizing something and there was a reddish color to his cheeks.

"Whoa, are you getting another one of those fevers," I asked in concern. I really think this guy should go see a doctor. Who knows what kind of sickness he has?

"It's nothing," he said rather quickly. "We should get going."

He began to walk away, leaving me a little annoyed. I had almost forgotten that Red had a bit of a stubborn streak to him. I just sighed and walked after him, doing my best to keep up. From the corner of my eye, I saw something hanging on a wall. I turned my head to look at what it was, which turned out to be a framed picture. A small gasp escaped my mouth when I saw who was in the photograph. It was Mr. Fuji. Though he looked younger in the photo, it was undoubtedly him. Under the image read: "Lab Founder." I never would have guessed that he was once a scientist. I smiled a little and ran after Red, who was already outside.

"Hey, Red," I called out when I was outside. "Where's the gym on this island?"

"You didn't see it," he asked, astonishment in his voice. "It was right by the Pokémon Center."

"Seriously? Damn, I need some glasses or something. Oh! Let's see our new Pokémon!"

I tossed Kabuto's pokéball, releasing the resurrected Pokémon. What came out of the ball was a strange little brown-shelled Pokémon. I picked it up, its yellow insect-like legs moving around. I couldn't see its face but it had red glowing eyes. I looked over at Red, who only shrugged at me before taking out Aerodactyl's pokéball. He tossed the pokéball, a large gray Pokémon appearing from it. It had a dragon-like head, which had two horns, and a pair of violet wings with claws on them. It had two legs and a long tail with an arrow shape at the end.

It let out a loud screech, causing Red and I to flinch from shrillness of it. He quickly returned Aerodactyl to its pokéball to keep from making a scene.

"It sure has a strong voice," I commented, returning Kabuto to its pokéball as well. "I didn't really expect that from seeing its bones in Pewter City."

"I think that Kabuto of yours will evolve into that Kabutops we saw at the museum," added Red, looking over at me.

"Hey, I think you're right! They both have similar names so that probably means they're in the same family."

"That was exactly what I was thinking."

I laughed, but then suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right! The gym! We should go get that seventh badge," I said, walking ahead of Red. We passed by the Pokémon Mart, going around the corner, and stood before the gym. The sign nearby read, "Blaine: The Hotheaded Quiz Master!" Does that mean he uses Fire-types? I could be wrong. I stepped in front of the doors, but the automatic glass doors didn't open. Maybe it needed a little more time to sense me… Or not. I tried to open the doors forcefully, but they didn't budge.

"Why won't it open," I asked loudly, growing frustrated. I turned to Red to see if he had any ideas.

"It's probably locked for some reason," said Red, bringing a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, that's just great. What are we supposed to do now?"

Red lowered his hand, turning his head to look at a large brown building to his left. The building was actually a mansion, which looked a little charred in some areas. Some of the windows were shattered, a couple of them boarded up to keep the weather out.

"Until the gym opens up again, we can go see what's in that mansion," offered Red, looking back at me.

"I guess. We don't have much else to do," I said with a shrug.

We headed toward the mansion and opened its large doors to get inside. The interior wasn't much better than the exterior of the mansion. Everything looked like it was all falling apart. There were remains of furniture, which were basically piles of wood and fabric. The tiles on the floor were either cracked or missing completely, exposing the dirt floor beneath. The walls had a blackish tint to them, a sign of a fire, and the paint was peeling off. I looked up at the ceiling, seeing huge chandeliers and gaping holes that let me see the floor above.

There was a staircase ahead of us, which didn't seem very stable, and a hallway to the right of it. Red and I decided to go down the hallway first. As usual, Red and I went our own ways to thoroughly explore the area. I saw a doorway, which happened to be missing a door, and figured that I should check out the room there. Inside that room was a strange statue, a huge table with two chairs, and kid who was staring at the statue. What was he doing here, anyway? I walked up to him, curious about his reasons for being here. I was standing beside him, about to ask him my question, until he suddenly turned his head and yelled.

"You startled me," he said, both angry and frightened. "I thought you were a ghost!"

"Oh, sorry, I just wanted to ask—"

"For scaring me, I challenge you to a battle!"

"What?"

The kid took out a pokéball and tossed it on the floor, sending out an Ekans. I sent out Breeze to battle against the Ekans, having him start the battle with a Wing Attack. Breeze slammed his wings against Ekans, causing the snake Pokémon to faint from the attack. The kid then sent out another Ekans, which Breeze attacked with another Wing Attack. However, the Ekans withstood the attack and screeched at Breeze. Breeze used Quick Attack to finish off Ekans, prompting the kid to send out a Raticate this time.

I had Breeze use Fly so he could avoid Raticate's next attack, and he struck the rat Pokémon soon after. That wasn't enough to defeat the Raticate. I ordered Breeze to use Wing Attack, and he quickly performed the move. As Breeze slammed his wings against Raticate, Raticate was knocked back, unconscious and defeated.

"Tch! I can't get any wins," said the kid, calling back Raticate.

"Anyway," I began, returning Breeze to his pokéball. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I was just exploring here by myself, but I feel spooked. I'm thinking of leaving soon."

I nodded and looked up at the statue, trying to remember if I've ever seen the Pokémon it's modeled after. I don't think I have, otherwise I would have remembered.

"I found a switch on that statue," said the kid, bringing me back to reality. "It's right beside the right foot. I think there are other statues like it around here somewhere."

I looked at the right foot of the statue, seeing a small switch just like the kid said. I was about to flip the switch, but stopped myself. There's no telling what it will do, and I didn't know where Red was and I wouldn't want him to be hindered or anything because of the switch. I left the room so I could go find Red. I wonder where he went. I walked down the hall, heading deeper into the mansion. I saw Red appear from around the corner. I actually felt pretty happy to see him again, even if we had separated briefly. It's probably because I was by myself in the Seafoam Islands.

"Did you find anything," I asked, walking up to him.

"No," he replied, disappointment in his voice. "We should probably check out the upper floor."

We made our way back to the entrance where the staircase was at. We walked up the creaky staircase, the steps groaning under our weight. I was worried that I was going to fall through them. The second floor looked somewhat the same as the bottom floor, except that the floor was creaky like the staircase. Another statue stood nearby, and I flipped the switch on it. The sound of doors moving echoed through the hallways. We checked the rooms, the open ones, but there wasn't much except a burglar who was looting what was left of the mansion. In another room, there was a notebook lying on a table. I walked over to it to see what it was about.

It was already open, and the pages were covered in soot. I blew at the pages, removing the soot and fine dust that had also collected on it. Red stood beside me as we tried to make out whatever was written in the pages.

"'July 5: A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle,'" I read out loud. "This looks like a record of research."

Red walked away, and I followed after him. We headed back to the staircase, since there wasn't much else to see on this floor. There was another open room down the hall, so I went over to see what was there, Red noticing and following me. Another notebook on a table was all that was in the room. I blew out the soot and dust off the pages, which were mostly smudged and unreadable.

"'July 10: We christened the newly discovered Pokémon, Mew,'" said Red, reading from the page.

"Mew? Like the ancestor of all Pokémon," I asked, remembering a book—the only one, by the way—I've read about it. "Not too many people see it because it's incredibly rare, which means there isn't a lot of information on it, too."

"Are these notebooks we've found all about Mew?"

"Maybe, but they're too smudged to read, probably from the fire. These notes look like they'll lead to something more, like a discovery of some sort."

Just the thought of finding out whatever that was made me feel excited. I was very curious to figure out what the notes will reveal. I noticed Red staring at me, a small smile on his lips.

"What," I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head a little.

"Anyway, let's go turn off that switch on the statue and check out any other rooms around here."

We went back to the statue and turned the switch off, doors moving close by. We looked around again for any new opened areas, but only finding one room. This room had its own staircase, and seemed a little safer than the one before. It still creaked loudly when we stepped on it, though. On the third floor, there was another statue and a huge door closing off one of the rooms. I flipped the switch on the statue, causing the huge door to open. We walked down the new path, seeing gaping holes in the ground.

"You two," called out a voice, causing both Red and I to turn to the source. It was another scientist, who was carrying a book and notebook.

"What are you doing here," he demanded from us, looking at us sternly.

"Well, what are _you_ doing here," I asked back.

"This building just happened to belonged to my former mentor. I'm merely just salvaging any important documents and the like. I must ask that the both of you leave. I don't want this mansion to be a place for love-struck teenagers trying to get some alone time."

My mouth dropped at what he said while Red looked away from him.

"Whoa, whoa! It's not like that," I explained, holding my hands up and shaking them in protest. "We were checking this place out until the gym opened up again. We're just stuck a little."

"Is that so," he asked skeptically. "Well, the fire has burnt down parts of the mansion, making some rooms inaccessible. Though it's a little unsafe, you can jump down the holes to get to the closed off rooms below us."

"Jump down? Are you insane? We'll break our bones doing that!"

"Then, figure out another way to get down there," he said, walking away from us.

Red and I briefly looked at each other before looking at the large hole in front of us. What could we use to get us safely down onto the second floor? An idea popped into my head as I dug through my bag.

"We can use this rope I found in Mt. Moon," I said, taking out the rope. "If we can tie this somewhere, I'm sure it'll help us get down."

"Where, exactly," asked Red, quickly scanning the surround area. His eyes settled on an object, which turned out to be a potted plant that was sitting at a nearby corner. Or, at least, what was left of the plant. The plant was nothing more than a charred stump. The pot, however, was in good condition and it was pretty big. I walked over to the pot, and tried to move it to test its weight. It was pretty heavy since it was still full of soil for the burnt plant. I tied the rope around it, making a tight knot, and pulled on it with my weight to see if it can hold me. It only moved slightly but froze in place, assuring me that it was safe.

I tossed the rope over the edge of the hole and looked down to see where it fell. It looked very far down, so I guess that it's the first floor we'll get to. I gathered all of my courage and carefully climbed down. Red's eyes would look from me and then to the pot to make sure there weren't any more hazards. It took about two or three minutes to be a couple of inches above the bottom floor. I let go of the rope, landing firmly on the ground.

"Okay, Red," I yelled, looking up at the floors above me. "You can go now!"

I took a couple of steps back and waited for Red to climb down. I watched the rope intently, waiting for any sign of Red to appear. The rope would move around in a slow rhythm, undoubtedly because of Red climbing down. I felt a little nervous waiting for him. I mean, I didn't want him getting hurt or anything from this. Hold on! Am I actually worrying about him? That's kind of weird since it's usually _him_ worrying about _me_. But, why should I be worried? He can take care of himself just fine. I know that for a fact. Yet, despite that fact, which should bring me reassurance and comfort, this anxious feeling wouldn't leave me.

I grew a little frustrated from this feeling because I couldn't understand the reasons for it. If anything, the fact Red can take care of himself should relieve me of my worries because facts are the truth. My mind desperately tried to latch onto any reassurance that truth could bring. No… It wasn't my mind. My mind already knew this and was very sure that Red will be safe. But, a different part of me wasn't so sure. It had this fear that something might happen even when there was a fact—a truth—that could easily disprove it. There's a word to describe something like this, but what was it? Ah, now I remember… Illogical. It was all illogical and because it was illogical, I couldn't understand it. How does Red tolerate this?

My eye caught sight of something above, causing my head to look up. It was a shoe, Red's shoe. He was slowly climbing down, and that horrible anxiety instantly vanished. When he was close enough to the floor, he let go of the rope to land on the ground safely.

"It's about time," I said, walking up to him. "You were taking forever!"

"I was being careful," he explained, giving me a serious stare. "Did you want me to fall off?"

My eyes widened a little at what he said, and it slightly annoyed me. It was almost as if he was taunting the fear I felt earlier, but I knew that that wasn't the case. Instead, my mind came up with a comeback to cover up this surprise from his question.

"It's not like you to ask a stupid question," I retorted, walking away from him.

"What about the rope?"

"Just leave it. I did find other pieces of rope like that one in other places."

We walked down the short hallway we were in, finding a staircase that led to a lower floor. We followed the stairs to the basement, which was surprisingly untouched from the fire. There was a closed metal door in a doorway to the right, so we moved on from there. We found an open room nearby, which had another notebook on a table and one of those strange statues. This notebook, however, didn't show any signs of suffering from the fire or time. Instead, many of its pages were torn out, leaving just a single page. I opened it and read what was left of it.

"'September 1: Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies…'"

Red and I were silent after I read that short entry. Of course, I was the one to break that silence.

"Damn it," I said, closing the notebook. "It jumps from Mew to this Mewtwo thing. All the important details and facts in between are left out, which doesn't help with anything. I don't even have any idea or guess to what Mewtwo is."

"You'll probably figure it out in the future," said Red, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Not now, but you will find out."

"How do you know that? What if it's someone else, like you or Blue?"

Lately, it feels like I was growing less and less sure of myself. Red was just too damn good at training his Pokémon, and Blue was defeating gym leaders days before we even arrived in the towns or cities they lived in. Not only that, but Blue was also filling in the Pokédex at a lot faster rate than me. Two strong boys who were making far more progress than me in many areas. Where do I fit in in all of this? Am I the one who's destined to be behind everyone? Be the one who just isn't good enough no matter how hard I try?

My mind flashbacked to my first Pokémon battle with Blue, remembering how, even when I was uncertain at first, I won the battle against him. I remember how confident I felt after that, how sure I was that I finally found something I was good at compared to Blue. I had a rough start in the beginning, struggling with my first gym and mugging other trainers. Despite all that, I still had the confidence that I could get better with my Pokémon. Although, it's difficult to keep your confidence up when the accomplishments of other people are hitting you left and right.

Suddenly, that confidence I felt in the beginning felt false. I was being naïve and childish. Why did I think, after only one battle, that I was the best? It was incredibly stupid of me to think that. All the battles I've struggled, and prevailed, through now felt meaningless because, no matter what I do, there will always—_always_—be somebody—No, make that somebodies—better than me. And they happened to be Red and Blue.

"Leaf," I heard Red say, snapping me out of my thoughts. I felt something on my right hand, and I looked to see Red's left hand resting on it. I gazed up at him, confused about this physical contact.

"What," I finally asked.

"Are you all right?"

"I don't know," I replied, looking away.

"Listen, I do things that will help me succeed. Blue does things that will boost his ego. But, I noticed that you do things because you want to."

Really? Mugging people just shows that I'd do anything to gain something, and doing the "right" actions was mostly out of getting good karma.

"That's one of the things I like about you," continued Red, causing me to look back at him. "You're passionate about what you do or like. Unlike Blue and I, who have selfish motives, you only want the enjoyment of it. The way you treat your Pokémon, talk about discoveries to be made, and being my friend…" His voice somewhat lingered on the last word, as if unsure if that was the correct one to use. "I can tell that you're happy doing all those things."

"You've gotten kind of sappy," I said, playfully punching Red in the arm. "But, thanks. I… I really needed that."

On long journeys, there are going to be times when you'll feel unsure of yourself. You question if you can continue on, have the strength to do so, and the purpose of the journey. Then, you start to lose sight of your goal, be it good or bad. When that happens, you must either reflect on yourself or have someone help you see the way. It's all right if your goal changes or stays the same, as long as you're sure that it's what you really want.

I was losing my way to my goal. Red helped me get back on the right path. And for that, I thank him. My goal is to show Blue that I am better than him, and that in itself is also the ultimate test to see what I am truly worth.

I walked over to the statue nearby, flipping the switch on it to open up any closed doors. It caused the door of the current room to open and close off the doorway we went through. We walked down the hallway to see the previously closed, eastern doorway open, allowing access to the deeper part of the basement. Red and I continued on, coming across another room with a statue. Since there was closed door further down the hall, Red flipped the switch to open it. The next room, the one that was locked, had a few old machines in the back and a large table wooden table with dusty chairs. On the table was a key, which was colored red that made it stand out on the table.

"What do you think this could be for," I asked, walking over to the table and picking up the key. I turned the key over in my hand, examining it for any clues. In very small letters, it read "C.I. Gym." I felt a smile grow on my lips as I understood the purpose of the key.

"This key will open up the gym here," I said excitedly, showing Red the key. "Then we can finally get our seventh badge!"

We ran down the hallways so we could go unlock the gym. I put it away in my bag so I wouldn't lose it. As we ran through the halls, we occasionally turned on, or off, the switch on the statues so we could get out of the mansion. By the time we were finally outside, it was nightfall.

"Damn, how long have we been in there," I asked, looking up at the stars in the dark sky.

"Obviously for a very long time," replied Red in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, we should probably go get some rest at the Pokémon Center. We can open the gym tomorrow morning. It's not like it's going to disappear overnight."

Red nodded, and we went to the Pokémon Center to stay for the night. We received our rooms and left our Pokémon with the nurse to heal. In my room, I changed into my pajamas and climbed into the bed to get some sleep. But, as I stared up at the blank ceiling above me, sleep was evading me. I guess I'm still bothered by the confusion of that anxious feeling I got earlier. It was just so frustrating! Why couldn't I figure it out?

I calmed myself down because I won't be able to find the answer if I'm not thinking clearly. Okay, let's try this again… Why would I feel worried about Red when I know he'll be fine? Shit, I don't know. Then, let's try something different. Try to find something that is similar to this situation so you can compare them. Yeah, that'll work, but what is similar to my current situation? I just had to concentrate and remember. Who else are my friends that I worry about?

My Pokémon. They're my friends—No, they're more of a family now. Every time I send one of them to battle against another Pokémon, I'm confident in their strength, and yet I grow worried that they're not strong enough and will get hurt. It's just like with Red. And I worry about them because… I care about them. They're my friends so I care about them. Suddenly, all the times that Red worried about me became crystal clear. He didn't worry about me because I couldn't take care of myself or was too stupid to do so. He worried because he was my friend. And since I am his friend, he cares about me like how I care about him.

I began to feel a little warm, bringing a hand to my forehead.

"I think I'm getting one of Red's fevers," I said out loud to no one in particular. I turned to my side so I could fall asleep, hoping that I wouldn't wake up with a cold or a flu.

* * *

_**A/N: Oh, Leaf... Of course Red is sick! It's just a different type of sickness that not even a doctor can help with. I'm sorry that this wasn't updated sooner. My laptop was attacked by a virus, which left me unable to work on my stories. Now that it's fixed, I've been writing like crazy on my stories. Also, to clear things up, the reason why the battles seem easy for Leaf is because they're entirely based on the battles in my game. In other words, an easy victory in my game for me means an easy victory for Leaf. And, I write as these battles are taking place to give you all a better picture. I have to admit that this chapter was more emotional than action-based. Even though I try to keep the story humorous, the characters aren't all smiles and laughter. The characters are just too human for me to write them in such a way.**_


	21. Islands in the Sun

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

I yawned as we walked to the gym. My legs felt sore from yesterday's walking around both the Seafoam Islands and the Pokémon Mansion. As I did my best to keep up with Red, who was walking in front of me, I began to think about the next gym after Cinnabar Island. I remembered that when we first arrived in Viridian City, the gym was locked up. That's most likely the next place we have to go to. That means we'll have to stop by Pallet Town on our way there. Well, we don't _have_ to, but it'd be nice to be home again. Red suddenly stopped, causing me to crash into his back.

"Why'd you stop," I asked, taking a few steps back from him.

"We're already at the gym," he replied, turning around. "You have the key."

"Oh, right," I said, looking through my bag for the key to the gym. I took it out, handing it to Red. I moved a little to the side so I could see him open up the gym.

"Hey, why's the gym even locked in the first place," I asked, watching Red slide the key in the keyhole. "And why was the key in the mansion?"

Red only shrugged as the door opened up. I waited for him to walk inside, being that he usually is the first to defeat gym leaders before I do. However, he seemed a little hesitant.

"You go first," he said, taking a step back and handing me the key.

"Hm? Why?"

"I think I should train Gyarados a little more before challenging Blaine."

"Whatever you say."

I walked inside the gym, greeted by the Pokémon statues that were usually by the entrance of every gym I've seen so far. Inscribed on the left statue was Blue's name. He was definitely here before the gym locked up. A man stood by that same statue, looking up at me and smiling mischievously.

"I take it that you found the key," he asked me.

"And how do you know that," I asked, keeping my distance from him.

"Well, just like how Blaine loves quizzes, I love scavenger hunts. I wanted to see how long it'd take for a trainer to find the key to the gym."

"Does that mean I have the only key to the gym?"

"No, Blaine has his and I have my own. I made a copy and hid it in that burned mansion. Then, I would wait for Blaine to open the gym and let the gym trainers in. After that, I would lock up the gym."

"Was that really all necessary?"

"For my own amusement, yes! You can keep that key, by the way. I won't be locking the gym up anymore."

I just shrugged and walked by him so I could challenge the inevitable first trainer. Before heading to the gym, I had given Rain, my Lapras, a Quick Claw I had found during a game in the Safari Zone. Since Rain is a little on the slow side, he could use the extra speed boost. I saw the first trainer in the next room and walked up to him for a battle.

"You know, I was a thief, but I went straight as a trainer," he said casually, taking out a pokéball.

It gets kind of difficult to tell the difference between a plain conversation and requests for a battle, especially when the requests sound a lot like normal conversation. We sent out our Pokémon, a Growlithe from him and Dugtrio from me. I had Terra begin with Magnitude, which promptly made the Growlithe faint from the attack. The "burglar" then sent out a Vulpix, causing Terra to dig under the ground. The Vulpix launched a strong burst of flame, which was Flamethrower, at the area where Terra was but obviously missed. Terra appeared from the ground again, striking the Vulpix from underneath. The Vulpix collapsed from the strike, causing the "burglar" to withdraw her.

The last Pokémon the "burglar" had was a Ninetales, which I had to admit was really beautiful. But that won't stop me from winning this battle. I ordered Terra to use another Magnitude, which was too much for the Ninetales. It fainted, bringing the battle to an end.

"After seeing Pokémon like yours," said the "burglar" as he paid me the winning money. "I get this uncontrollable urge to steal other people's Pokémon."

At that, I quickly stuffed the money in my bag and kept a careful eye on my trainer belt, counting the six pokéballs there repeatedly as I walked into the next room. However, the door wasn't open.

"You have to answer the questions on that machine," said the burglar, pointing to a large machine in the corner.

I walked over to it and checked it out.

"Pokémon Quiz," said the machine, its voice rather enthusiastic. "Get it right, and the door opens to the next room. Get it wrong, and face a trainer! If you want to conserve your Pokémon for the gym leader… Then get it right! Here we go! Caterpie evolves into Metapod?

"Yes," I answered, remembering all those annoying Bug-Catchers in Viridian Forest.

"You're absolutely correct! Go on through!"

Of course I'm correct. The door finally opened, letting me proceed to the next room. This room had two of those "Super Nerds." I grabbed Rain's pokéball, ready for a battle.

"Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get," asked the Super Nerd when I approached him.

"Well, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let a Pokémon breathe fire at me," I said, tossing Rain's pokéball.

The nerd sent out a Vulpix to battle against Rain. With Rain's type advantage, I had him use Surf on the Vulpix, causing it to faint. The nerd sent out another Vulpix, which was also defeated by Surf. The nerd then sent out a Ninetales, but even Vulpix's final evolution couldn't stand up against Rain's Surf. The nerd sighed as he began to pay my winning money.

"Fire, or to be more precise, combustion," he began, but I started walking away at this point.

The other Super Nerd there looked more than ready to challenge me and looked very confident.

"I've studied Pokémon thoroughly," he said, tossing a pokéball. "You can't win!"

"Like I give a damn," I said, sending out Rain.

The nerd's Pokémon was a Ponyta, making me giggle a little at the memory of that scientist's bad drawing. Rain hit Ponyta with a Surf, making it faint. The nerd's next Pokémon was a Charmander, which pulled at my heartstrings a bit because it reminded me of Flare. Nonetheless, I had Rain use another Surf while I looked away. From the Charmander's cry, I could tell that the attack had hit. I then switched my Pokémon, sending out Dream instead. The nerd's next Pokémon was a Vulpix.

I ordered Dream to use Slam, which successfully hit the Vulpix and knocked it unconscious. The nerd's last Pokémon was a Growlithe. I had Dream use Twister, which weakened the Growlithe a bit. The Growlithe leered at Dream, but I had Dream use another Twister to finish it off.

"What? My studies were insufficient," said the nerd in shock. "At least I still have my theories, which you wouldn't understand."

I rolled my eyes and then walked up to the machine there to answer the next quiz question.

"There are nine certified Pokémon League badges," asked the machine.

"Nope," I replied, knowing for sure that there were only eight.

"You're absolutely correct! Go on through!"

I walked into the next room, a burglar waiting patiently for me to approach him.

"I like using Fire-type Pokémon," he said innocently. "I just do."

"Um, okay then," I commented, unsure of what else to say.

I like his taste, though. Fire-types are kind of cool since they can burn things down. The reason I picked Flare in the first place was so I could start some fires, which I haven't been doing. I think I'm getting too responsible to do the things I want.

The burglar sent out a Ponyta, while I sent out Dream. Dream started the battle with Slam, greatly weakening the Ponyta. However, the Ponyta increased its agility, making it faster than before. It took advantage of its now superior speed by attacking Dream with Take Down. It hurt Dream a little, and it further weakened Ponyta. I had Dream use Twister to finish it off and end the battle.

"I wish there were a thief Pokémon," mused the burglar as he paid me. "I'd use that!"

Hm, I wonder if there really is a thief Pokémon. I can't think or recall any I've seen or heard of. I walked up to the machine in the corner of the room, prepared for the next question.

"Poliwag evolves three times," it asked.

I thought this over before answering. I know that Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, but did it evolve again after that? I tried to remember anything of a second evolution for Poliwag. Wait, there was that one guy in Celadon City with a Pokémon that kind of looked like Poliwhirl. Was that the next evolution? Or was it really a Poliwhirl? I can't really remember since the memory itself was vague. Not just that, but I don't think there's a Pokémon that evolves three times successively. Sure, there are some with multiple evolutions, like Eevee, but after it evolves, it doesn't evolve any more than that. At most, that I know of, Pokémon evolve twice.

"Um, no," I said hesitantly.

The machine was silent for a moment before saying, "You're absolutely correct! Go on through!"

The door to the next room opened up, revealing yet another Super Nerd.

"I know why Blaine became a trainer," said the nerd when I walked up to him.

"Really? Maybe you can tell me after I win," I said, grabbing Dream's pokéball.

The nerd sent out a Rapidash, which was the evolved form of Ponyta. It had a long mane and tail of fire with a horn in the middle of its forehead. I had Dream use Slam on Rapidash, which weakened it somewhat. Rapidash increased its agility, its speed higher than before. It then followed up with Fury Attack, attacking Dream with its horn two times. Dream endured it and countered with another Slam, knocking out the Rapidash. The nerd returned his faint Pokémon to its pokéball and began to pay me the winning money.

"Our leader, Blaine, became lost in the mountains," said the nerd after he paid me. "Night fell when a fiery bird Pokémon appeared. Its light allowed Blaine to find his way down safely."

Fiery bird Pokémon? It couldn't be the legendary Moltres, could it? It probably is, especially since Articuno is more than just a legend. I went to the machine in the room, ready for the next question.

"Are electric moves effective against Ground-type Pokémon," asked the machine.

"No," I replied, remembering the reason why I caught Terra. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get the Thunder Badge from Lt. Surge.

"You're absolutely correct! Go on through!"

I walked into the next room, coming across another burglar.

"I've been to many gyms," he began, taking out a pokéball. "But this one best suits my style."

He sent out a Vulpix while I sent out Breeze. Breeze started off with Wing Attack, slamming his powerful wings against Vulpix. This knocked back Vulpix, incapable of battling any more. The burglar then sent out a Growlithe. Breeze flew up high to the ceiling, evading Growlithe's incoming Take Down. He dived back down and hit Growlithe, severely weakening it. However, Growlithe tackled Breeze with Take Down, hurting itself and Breeze a bit. Breeze's Quick Attack was enough to finish off the Growlithe.

"Ponyta, Ninetales… Those are popular Fire Pokémon," said the burglar.

I shrugged a little as I walked over to the machine so I could answer another question.

"Pokémon of the same kind and strength are not identical," it asked me.

I thought it over carefully. Can two Pokémon of the same species and strength be identical? I don't think it can. I mean, my and Red's Pikachu were two different Pokémon. Static, who is now a Raichu, has a laid-back nature (usually) while Red's Pikachu is a little more active. So, Pokémon can't be identical because their personalities are different.

"Yes, they are not identical," I said to the machine.

"You're absolutely correct! Go on through," it said, the door to the next room opening up. I was soon face-to-face with another Super Nerd, who smirked at me.

"Fire is weak against H2O," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Ugh, I've never really liked chemistry," I said, annoyed of the scientific term for water.

The nerd tossed a pokéball, releasing a Growlithe, while I sent out Breeze. Breeze slammed his wings against the Growlithe, successfully performing Wing Attack. Growlithe wasn't so easily defeated, and it retaliated with Take Down, hurting both Pokémon in the process. Breeze followed up with Quick Attack, finishing off the Growlithe. I switched out Breeze and sent out Flare while the nerd sent out a Vulpix.

I had Flare use Strength, slamming into the Vulpix with full power. The Vulpix was knocked out after that, ending the battle. The nerd then paid me my winning money, looking a little annoyed as he did so.

"Water beats fire, of course," he said, putting away his wallet. "But fire melts ice, so the Fire-type beats Ice-type Pokémon."

"That's sort of common sense," I commented, receiving a glare from him.

I quickly went up to the quiz machine so I could move on to the next room.

"TM28 contains Tombstony," asked the machine.

Okay, now that's a stupid question. Elementary school once told me that there's no such thing as stupid questions but I beg to differ. From my experience battling Brock in Pewter City, the move is _Rock Tomb_, not "Tombstony." So, that automatically means that the answer is false.

"No," I answered confidently.

"You're absolutely correct! Go on through," said the machine as the door opened. I took a few steps toward the opened doorway but stopped. It was the last room, and even though I've never seen Blaine before, I'm pretty sure that's him standing there. A badge, which looked like a flame, hung on the wall behind him, confirming my suspicions that he really is Blaine. I turned around and ran out of the gym to heal my Pokémon before this battle. I dashed to the Pokémon Center and handed the nurse there my pokéballs.

As my Pokémon were getting healed, I thought over which Pokémon I should use first against Blaine. Rain is a Water-type, obviously, but is a bit slow, even with the Quick Claw. There's also the fact that the Fire-types of Kanto are rather fast. So, Terra is better suited for the faster ones, like Ponyta. However, Rain does have higher defenses compared to Terra. Okay, I'll start off with Rain, and switch to Terra after.

"Your Pokémon are all healed," said the nurse, getting my attention. "We hope to see you again!"

That should really be changed. I grabbed my pokéballs and clipped them to my belt. I then made a mad dash back to the gym, ready for my battle against Blaine. I made my way through the rooms of the gym until I reached the Blaine's room. The guy was bald and had a white mustache on his face, a sign of age. He wore a lab coat over brown pants and a black button-up shirt. He also wore a tie, which had a pokéball print to it, and sunglasses. I have to admit that sunglasses make everything a lot cooler, even on an old guy like Blaine. As I approached him, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"I am Blaine, the red-hot leader of Cinnabar Gym," he introduced himself. "My fiery Pokémon are all rough and ready with intense heat! They incinerate all challengers!"

I was going to ask about Blue, but decided against it. Instead, I grabbed Rain's pokéball for the unavoidable upcoming battle.

"Hah, you better have some Burn Heals," said Blaine, taking out a pokéball from his coat pocket and throwing it.

I tossed my pokéball for Rain to battle any Pokémon it was up against. It turned out to be a Growlithe. I had Rain immediately use Surf on Growlithe, who took the whole force of the attack. It fainted, prompting Blaine to take out another pokéball. I switched out Rain, and sent out Terra for the next Pokémon. Blaine's next Pokémon was a Ponyta, which I thought was really coincidental. I ordered Terra to use Dig so that it could evade Ponyta's next attack. Ponyta unleashed a powerful burst of flame, which looked a lot like Fire Blast, but it missed. Terra then appeared from underneath Ponyta, striking it with all her power.

I took a deep breath as Ponyta fainted from the attack. So far, so good. Blaine then sent out his next Pokémon, a Rapidash. I calmly told Terra to use Magnitude, which caused more damage than normal to Rapidash. Blaine frowned a little at this as he switched out his Pokémon again. I did the same, sending out Rain again. Blaine's last Pokémon was an Arcanine, a large red-orange Pokémon with black stripes and cream-colored mane, tail, and tufts on the back of its legs. It looked like an evolution of Growlithe. It gave off an intimidating aura, but I didn't let that bother me too much.

I told Rain to use Surf, hoping that it will be enough to defeat the Arcanine. It took the hit, collapsing from defeat. I let out a small sigh as both Blaine and I returned our Pokémon to their pokéballs.

"Looks like I've burned down to nothing," commented Blaine, smiling a little. "Not even ashes remain. You have earned the Volcano Badge."

He reached in the inside of his coat, unpinning the many Volcano Badges that were lining a part of his coat. He handed it to me, which I took and put away in my case.

"The Volcano Badge heightens the special attacks of your Pokémon," explained Blaine, the smile on his face growing slightly. "Here, you can have this, too!"

He walked up to one of the machines in the room, two of them in the farthest corners of the room. He reached behind one and pulled out a cd case, which was obviously a TM. He walked back and handed it to me, which I put away in my TM Case where it belongs.

"Fire Blast is the ultimate fire technique," said Blaine, looking rather proud. "Vulpix or Charmeleon would be ideal for that move. Just don't waste it on Water Pokémon."

"Hey, you should make those quiz questions a lot harder," I said, pointing behind me with my thumb. "It'd be a lot more challenging."

Blaine stared at me for a few seconds before grinning.

"Hah, that's the first time I've ever heard of such a request," said Blaine, putting his hand on my head. "I got many complaints that my quizzes were too difficult so I had to dumb them down a bit."

"Really? Next time, I'll be more than happy to take a tougher quiz."

"That's fine by me. I look forward to our next meeting. Your name, by the way?"

"It's Leaf," I replied, causing him to lift his hand from my head.

"Leaf," he repeated, taking my hat off. "I really do like this hat of yours, Leaf. I should probably get one like it so I could cover up my head."

"Thanks, my Pokémon also like my hat."

I looked behind Blaine and noticed a framed photo hanging on the wall, right next to the gym emblem. The photo was of Blaine and Mr. Fuji standing shoulder to shoulder with big grins.

"You know Mr. Fuji," I asked Blaine, even though the answer was obvious.

"Yes, he and I go way back, before you were even born. I still talk to him from time to time."

"Was he once a scientist? Because I saw his photo in the Pokémon Lab and I was really surprised to find out he was the founder."

"He used to be a scientist, yes. But, he later discovered that he was more suited to caring for Pokémon."

We were silent for a few seconds until Blaine spoke up.

"Leaf, despite that I've only just met you, I have this impression that you have a sharp mind and great curiosity. You have a lot of potential."

"Well, I'm trying to be the best trainer I can be for my Pokémon," I commented, smiling at him.

"I didn't mean as a trainer," said Blaine, gently putting my hat back on my head. I looked up at him in confusion, not quite understanding what he was trying to say.

"Something tells me that you'll make a great scientist someday," continued Blaine, grinning.

"S-scientist? Me? But I don't even like science!"

"There is more to science than just formulas and algebraic equations. The path of a rocket scientist is probably something you won't like. But the path of a Pokémon researcher? That seems more your forte."

I stared at Blaine for a moment before slowly nodding. I said my goodbyes to him and made my way out of the gym. I stared at the ground as I walked back to the Pokémon Center. Regardless of what Blaine said, there's no way I can be a Pokémon researcher. I don't think I have it in me to be someone like that. Blue seems more capable of doing that, being that his grandfather is Professor Oak, the most famous of all Pokémon researchers. Ugh, what am I doing? Doubting myself, that's what. I mentally shook my head of those thoughts, refocusing on the reason why I'm a trainer. I have to prove to Blue that I'm a better trainer than him, no matter what.

I went inside the Pokémon Center, healing my Pokémon again while I sat by a table. It'll probably be a while until Red won the Volcano Badge. It wouldn't hurt to take a short nap. I folded my arms on the table and rested my head on them, slowly drifting to sleep. I was asleep for about fifteen minutes, or, at least, it felt like fifteen minutes. I felt an insistent tapping on my arm, urging me to wake up because of how much it was annoying me.

"What," I yelled, looking up at whoever was bothering me. It was Bill of all people. The Pokémaniac looked taken back my outburst, and seemed unsure of himself.

"Ah, sorry," he said, taking a step back. "I was going to ask you and Red about something but never mind."

"No, wait," I said, rubbing my eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I just don't like being bothered when I'm sleeping."

"It's fine. I should have waited until you woke up, or for Red to arrive."

"What time is it?"

"About noon. Why?"

"So, I was asleep for two hours," I said to myself, getting up from the table. I walked over to the counter and asked the nurse for my Pokémon. She handed me a tray with my pokéballs, which I quickly clipped to my belt.

"So, Bill," I began, turning to him. "What brings you to Cinnabar Island? I haven't seen you since my stay in Cerulean City."

"Yes, it has been a long while. You're still using my PC system, right?"

"I sure have! Where else would I keep all the Pokemon I've caught? At home?"

"That's good to hear," said Bill with a laugh. "Listen, since we met up here, how about spending time with me?"

"Spend time with her," asked a voice, not too softly.

Both Bill and I turned to the source, which turned out to be Red. He was standing by the door of the Pokémon Center, an irritated look on his face.

"Hi, Red," I said, waving at him. "Look, it's Bill!"

"I remember who he is," said Red, walking over to me.

"Good! Okay, Bill, what did you have in mind?"

"There's this little island in the far south called One Island," replied Bill, looking a little uneasy. "A friend invited me, so I'm on my way out there. How about it? Do you feel like coming with me? You can come along, too, Red."

"Sure," I answered enthusiastically. "It sounds like a lot of fun! Right, Red?"

Red just looked away, not answering. That's just rude.

"Great! We should head outside and see if my friend's boat has arrived."

Bill led the way out, Red and I following him. Along the eastern coast of the island, there was a nice, small speedboat parked nearby.

"Ah, looks like it's already here," said Bill, walking over to it. "He sent it specially here to Cinnabar to pick me up."

We boarded the boat, Bill helping me get on while Red watched us intently. Why was he staring like that? That isn't all, but he was also pretty silent throughout the trip to One Island. Well, it shouldn't surprise me that he's silent. It's just that he's grown a bit more open to me.

"Are you okay," I asked, sitting beside him as he looked out the window of the boat. The ride was rather bumpy, and there was mostly wide open sea all around us. There wasn't even the slightest hint of land.

"I'm fine," he replied, still staring out the window. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because you don't look fine to me," I remarked, tugging at his sleeve. "Did you get the seventh badge?"

"Of course I did," he said, still not looking at me. I was getting annoyed by his behavior, so I put my hands at the sides of his face and made him turn to look at me.

"Would it kill you to make some eye contact," I asked, still holding his face. When I looked at those dark brown eyes of his, I think I saw anger.

"Are you mad," I asked, tilting my head a little.

"No, I'm not mad," he replied, trying to break free from my hold.

I let go of him, and he went back to staring out the window.

"Good, because you shouldn't be mad. Bill is being a really nice friend for inviting us to One Island."

Red looked at me from the corner of his eye, and then stared back at the sea. Maybe I was hallucinating, but was there a smirk on his face before he looked away from me? In the distance, an island was visible, which seemed to grow larger the closer we got to it. As we neared the island, the boat began to slow down so it could park in this indoor dock. We disembarked and headed outside, which was very warm and a little humid. I suppose this is normal island weather, especially when so far away from Kanto.

"Here we are," said Bill, quickly looking around. "This is One Island. There are several islands around here, and this is one of them. My friend Celio sent the boat to fetch me here."

"Who, exactly, is Celio," I asked, curious of whom this person was. Another Pokémaniac like Bill, perhaps?

"He's the guy in charge of the island's PC network by his lonesome," replied Bill, but looked like he realized something. "Wait, why am I telling you this now? Let's just go see Celio!"

He led us to a very large Pokémon Center that wasn't too far away. Inside, there was a big machine on the right side of the room. That explains why this place was so huge. A man with dirty blonde hair, a plaid turquoise shirt, and brown pants stood in front of the machine, examining it.

"Hey, Celio," said Bill as Red and I looked around the room.

"Bill," said Celio, a look of both surprise and joy on his face. "I can't believe you came out here!"

"Well, absolutely! How's your research coming along? Oh, wait a sec—"

Bill looked over at both Red and I, who were quietly watching the conversation between him and Celio.

"Leaf, Red, this is my buddy Celio," said Bill, introducing his friend. "He's one dedicated PC Maniac!"

He looked back at Celio, and said, "Celio, this is Red and Leaf, rising contenders as Pokémon Champs!"

I got goosebumps from what he said, remembering what Blaine had told me a few hours ago.

"That's really impressive," commented Celio, shaking Red's hand and then mine. "I hate to say it, but I have zero aptitude for battling. Anyways, I'm glad to meet the both of you."

"So, bring me up to speed," said Bill, curious of the current situation. "How's your machine running?"

"It's running fine, but we're too remote out here," replied Celio, rubbing the back of his head. "The PCs on this island just can't link with your PC, Bill."

"Okay, let me take a look-see."

Bill typed in some things in the machine, a lot of codes and numbers showing up in the black screen on the machine.

"Hang on here," he said, looking at the screen and typing in a few more things. "I think we can make it work. Let me help you, okay?"

He looked back at us and added, "Leaf, Red, can I get you two to wait for me just a bit? Actually, can I get you to do me a favor?"

"Sure thing. What is it," I asked, looking up at him.

"The island next to this one's called Two Island," began Bill. "There's a guy there that runs a Game Corner. He has this thing for rare rocks and gems. We keep in touch, being fellow maniacs. So, can I get you to deliver this meteorite to him?"

He handed me an oddly shaped purple stone, which I put away in my bag.

"If you're both going to Two Island, please take these," said Celio, giving us each a blue card with three little islands on them. "It's a pass for the ferry service serving the local islands. It will let you travel between the Islands One, Two, and Three. Oh, you should have this, too."

He gave us smaller maps, which both Red and I put together with our Town Maps.

"I'll catch you later," said Bill, smiling at me. "Say hi to the guy for me!"

Red and I walked out of the Pokémon Center, back to the warm outdoors. We walked back to the dock and boarded the boat again, heading to Two Island, which wasn't too far away. When we arrived and looked at our new surroundings, the island seemed a little bigger than One Island. Even so, there weren't that many buildings around. There was only a Pokémon Center, an outdoor shop, a house, and finally the Game Corner, which was hidden in the far right side.

Since we found what we were looking for, we walked over to the Game Corner and entered. Inside, there was beige and gray tiles on the floor, a small table and couch to the side, and middle-aged man pacing back and forth in front of us. His hair was thinning at the top, and he was wearing a white button up shirt with brown pants.

"Where's Lostelle gotten to today," he asked to himself, stopping and turning his back to us. "She always brings me lunch every day right about now."

I was just about to call out to him so he'd know we were here, but he suddenly turned around, a look of surprise on his face when he saw us.

"You, there," he said, walking toward us. "Are you friends of Lostelle's?"

"Well," I began, figuring I should tell him the truth. "We're not really—"

"Have you seen Lostelle around," he asked, interrupting me. "I don't know where she might be. She should've been here long ago."

"Maybe she's running la—"

"Lostelle's a cutie—she got my looks—so what if someone… What if something's happened to my Lostelle?"

"I'm sure she's—"

"Please, help me find her," asked the man, urgency and worry obvious in his voice. "Please, go search Three Island!"

This guy… He looked like he wanted to cry but was doing everything he could to keep himself from doing so. I was about to answer him when Red suddenly pulled me into his arms, away from the door. A guy with a green Mohawk barged into the room, riding his motorcycle and looking disappointed.

"What is this Game Corner," he said mockingly. "How much sadder can this get? Those bastards… They said they'd be waiting on the island, so where are they?"

He looked over to the man, who was just as surprised as me at this biker.

"Hey, you," he said harshly, staring at the older man. "Is this the only Three Island around here?"

"How about you try waking up before you crawl out of bed, you punk," remarked the older man, looking quite annoyed of the biker's attitude. "This is Two Island! Move it! Get your filthy motorbike out of my place!"

The biker looked taken back by the guts the guy had, almost like he was unused to being stood up to.

"Okay, okay, I got it," he said in a low voice. "Tch, these islands are confusing."

He turned his motorcycle around and left the building, leaving some exhaust behind.

"Red, you can let go of me now," I said, feeling like I was being crushed against him. He let go of me, and I quickly pulled away, taking some deep breaths before looking back at the older man.

"That little bastard scuffed up my floor," he said, looking at the bike tire marks on the tile. "Hey, but listen! I'm begging you; you have to go to Three Island! If anything were to happen to my Lostelle…"

"We'll be happy to help out," I said, ignoring the fever on Red's face. "Where do you live on Three Island?"

"My place is the house with the red roof," he replied, looking a little relieved. "She may just show up late here, so I can't run off anywhere. That's why I have to get you to do me this big favor."

I gave him a quick nod and walked out, heading back to the dock. Red followed me until we reached the boat to head out to Three Island. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the next island. However, Red and I weren't really expecting the site we were welcomed to. There were Bikers all over the place, driving around and harassing residents.

"What the hell do they think they're doing," I said, grabbing Breeze's pokéball. "I should knock some sense into them!"

"We're here to find Lostelle, not to beat up Bikers," said Red, walking ahead. I growled a bit but followed him anyway. Further ahead, there was another Pokémon Center and a house with a red roof, undoubtedly Lostelle's house. However, there was also a gang of bikers closing in on two guys.

"That's it," I said, very annoyed at what these Bikers were doing. "I'm going to have Flare unleash a Flamethrower on their asses!"

"Why do you have to resort to extortion," asked Red, causing me to look over at him.

"Extortion? How is this extortion if I'm doing the right thing?"

"My mistake. This is vigilantism."

"Whatever. You go check out the house to see if Lostelle is there. I'm going to handle those Bikers."

I walked over to the gang, barely catching the conversation that was going on between the gang and the possible victims.

"Are you the boss," asked one of the guys. "Go back to Kanto right now!"

"What? I just got here, man," said the lead Biker, who was a big bald guy, smirking. "What's with the hostile attitude? That's very cold of you!"

"Your gang has been doing nothing but raising havoc on their bikes. Do you have any idea how much trouble they've caused us on the island?"

"No, man, I don't get it at all," said the leader, shrugging a little and a look of disgust on his face. "Look at this place. What do you do for entertainment? You ought to be thanking us for livening up this sleepy village. But, hey, if you insist, you can try making us leave."

The Biker glared at the two guys before him, his followers behind him laughing at the fear the two were feeling.

"You cowards," growled the other guy. "So tough in a pack."

I was going to call out the bikers on what they were doing, but one of the followers saw me and rode over to me, an annoyed look on his face.

"What are you staring at," he asked, his tone irritated. "Don't you know it's not polite?"

"Like I give a crap," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Besides, you guys are being hypocrites. It isn't very polite to gang up on defenseless people!"

"So, what? You wanna make something of it or what?"

"You bet I am," I said, grabbing Breeze's pokéball.

"Heh, I like your guts," he said, smirking at me. "You'll be losing money to me, but…"

He then tossed a pokéball, releasing a Koffing. I sent out Breeze and had him attack Koffing with Wing Attack. It hurt Koffing, but it wasn't enough to defeat it. Koffing retaliated with Sludge, hurting Breeze a bit. I had Breeze finish it off with Quick Attack. I quickly switched Pokémon, sending out Terra to battle. The Biker sent out a Grimer, who was no match against Terra's Magnitude. I smirked as the Biker returned his faint Pokémon back to its pokéball.

"Don't you dare laugh," he told me, glaring at me.

"Dude, did you just get beat by a girl in a Pokémon battle," asked another Biker, riding up to us.

"Shut up," said the first Biker. "She's not an ordinary girl! She's from… From…"

"From Pallet Town! Remember that," I said, watching them carefully.

"Wouldn't that make you from Kanto," asked the second Biker, looking rather confused. "You should be on our side!"

"No, I don't!"

The second Biker and I sent out our Pokémon, a Koffing and Pidgeot respectively. I had Breeze start off with Fly, evading Koffing's incoming Tackle. He dived down and tackled Koffing, weakening it greatly. Koffing then hit Breeze with Sludge, hurting him. I ordered Breeze to use Wing Attack, which defeated the opposing Pokémon.

"What's the matter with you, getting all mad like that," asked the second Biker, backing away a little. "It's really uncool!"

"Hey," called out another Biker. "We invited the boss out here, but you're messing it up! It's embarrassing enough that we're losing in front of him, but to a girl? That's even worse!"

The third Biker rode over to join his fellow followers. He threw a pokéball that released a Grimer, and I sent out Breeze. I had Breeze quickly use Fly before the Grimer screeched, and he attacked Grimer when it was done screeching. However, Grimer managed to endure the attack and hit Breeze with Sludge. Okay, these Poison-type attacks are getting a little annoying. Breeze then used Quick Attack to end the battle. The Biker quickly returned Grimer to its pokéball and rode back to the Biker leader, informing him of what was going on.

"Boss, you've gotta do something about that girl," he told the leader, loud enough for me to hear.

The leader sneered at what he said but rode over to me anyway, the other Bikers backing away to watch what was about to happen.

"I've been watching you, and I'd say you've done enough," he said, making his irritation obvious. "What are you, their friend or something?"

"No, but I'm willing to stand up for them," I replied, holding my ground against him.

"Then I guess you'll be battling me in their place," he said, throwing a pokéball and releasing Weezing.

"Fine by me," I added, sending out Breeze.

However, I quickly realized that Rain would be much better suited against Weezing. I switched out my Pokémon, sending out my Lapras instead. I didn't expect for the Biker to order his Weezing to Self-Destruct. Rain endured the explosion, but was weakened greatly from it. I growled in frustration and switched Pokémon again, sending Terra out. The lead Biker then sent out a Muk, who was immediately attacked by Terra's Magnitude. The Muk fainted from the attack and was returned to its pokéball.

"All right, enough," said the lead Biker, aggravated from his loss. "We'll leave like you want! We're happy to see the last of this boring island! Go ahead and keep hanging around these hayseeds!"

"Get lost, losers," I said, pointing with my thumb to the path behind me. The Biker leader glared at me before instructing his gang to move out. When they were all gone, I realized what I had said. For a moment there, I sounded like Blue. What scared me the most was that I felt very confident when I was battling against those Bikers. But, it wasn't my usual confidence. It was a condescending confidence similar to Blue's. I was actually looking down on those guys for doing what they did.

I mean, this wasn't like I was fighting off members of Team Rocket. No, Team Rocket was a group of people that I believed had to be stopped of their crimes. Like a "good vs. evil" sort of thing. These were just Bikers, a group of bullies. There wasn't any need for me to look down on them for that. Just because they were different didn't mean I was any better than them. I… I don't want to be like Blue, especially not the way he is now.

"Thanks for helping us out," said a voice that brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see the two guys that were being surrounded by the Bikers earlier.

"Oh, you're welcome," I said, smiling at them.

"Those Bikers were nothing but trouble," said one of the guys. "Oh, your Pokémon got hurt on my account."

He walked over to the side of the road and picked up a plastic bag. He walked back to us and handed me a Full Restore.

"You've got some seriously impressive Pokémon with you," he added, watching as I put away the Full Restore in my bag.

"Thanks, I've been training them a lot," I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"It'd be fantastic if someone as strong as you lived here," said the other guy. "I hope you'll at least stay here a while."

"Actually, I am. See, my friend and I looking for a girl named Lostelle. Do you have any idea where she can be?"

"You're looking for Lostelle? I saw her head off to Bond Bridge a while ago."

I nodded and walked to the nearest Pokémon Center. To my surprise, Red was there, also healing his Pokémon.

"Red, I know where Lostelle is," I told him, handing the nurse my pokéballs.

"That's good because she obviously wasn't at her house."

"Anyway, let's head over there, quick. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can show that guy the meteorite, and the sooner we can help Celio and Bill with the PC thing."

After our Pokémon were healed, we made our way to Bond Bridge, which took a while to get to because the path there was a winding trail. There were also other trainers there that were slowing us down because they wanted to battle us. As I battled against an Aroma Lady, Red had gone off to challenge a female Swimmer who wasn't too far away from Bond Bridge. After I defeated the Aroma Lady, who implied that my Pokémon stink, I waited for Red to return from his battle against the Swimmer. I didn't expect him to come back with another fever.

"What happened," I asked, curious on how he got sick again.

"N-Nothing," he quickly said, avoiding eye contact. No matter how curious I was, I shrugged. He probably wouldn't tell me what happened anyway.

We walked the short distance to Berry Forest, a big forest that had a long path going through it. Red and I sighed as we walked through, feeling like we were in Viridian Forest again. On the bright side, I did find a lot of berries while we made our way through. We eventually began to hear soft crying, urging Red and I to run down the rest of the path. We arrived at the end of the path, which had a small patch of grass and a girl crying next to it. She had light brown hair done in pigtails and wore a white dress with sandals. There was a woven basket next to her, filled with different kinds of berries. She was covering her eyes with her hands, sniffing and wiping away the tears running down her cheeks.

"Are you all right," I asked, kneeling down beside her.

She looked up in alarm, but then suddenly hugged me.

"Please, help," she cried, her tears dampening my shirt. "A scary Pokémon appeared there a little while ago! It kept scaring. It made Lostelle scared."

"It's okay. We're here to take you home," I said softly, reassuring her.

"I'm too scared to move," she said, trembling. "But I want to go home."

There was a rustle in the bushes, causing the three of us to look across the patch of grass and at the trees. A Hypno stumbled through, moving its pendant side to side.

"Here it comes again," yelled Lostelle, scrambling and wrapping her arms around my neck. "No! Go away! It's scaring me!"

She began sobbing again, while I just hugged her in an attempt to comfort her. The whole thing was pretty awkward to me. I never really was good at handling emotional stuff like this.

"I want my daddy," said Lostelle, crying into my shoulder.

I looked up at Red, who nodded at me and sent out his Gyarados. Gyarados attacked with Bite, which weakened the Hypno greatly. However, Hypno meditated, probably strengthening itself. Red ordered Gyarados to use another Bite, which caused the Hypno to retreat back into the depths of the forest.

"There," I said, tapping Lostelle's back. "It's gone now."

She looked back hesitantly, but let go of me when she saw that the Hypno had left.

"Oh! That was scary! Thank you," she said, wiping the last of her tears away.

"Sure thing," I said, smiling at her. "So, what were you doing all the way out here?"

"Lostelle came to pick some berries. You can have this!"

She reached into her basket and handed Red and I two strange-looking berries.

"What are your names," she asked, looking up at us.

"I'm Leaf and that's Red," I replied, introducing ourselves.

"Lostelle's scared, so can I go with you to my daddy's house?"

We nodded, earning a smile from her.

"Okay! Let's go home," she said eagerly, picking up her basket.

In the end, we decided to head back to Two Island, being that Lostelle wanted to deliver her father's lunch. I never would have thought that Bill's errand would turn into all this. But, we are helping out a lot people, both on our own and with Celio's machine.

"So you rescued Lostelle," asked her father, looking very relieved. "How can I ever thank you? Lostelle, darling, forgive me! Daddy didn't know you were scared and in trouble!"

"It's okay, Daddy," said Lostelle, looking over at Red and I. "I got to be friends with Leaf and Red! Please show me you two being cool again!"

"Um, hey, we have to give you this," I said, handing Lostelle's father the meteorite.

"This is for me," he asked with excitement. "How did you know that I love rare rocks and gems? You sure know how to make a guy happy! Your future husband is going to be one lucky man!"

I felt a fever coming on at what he said. Getting married wasn't one of the things I've thought about a lot.

"Actually, that meteorite is from Bill," explained Red, covering for my sudden silence.

"Bill? You have to thank him for me! You know, you two have been fantastic! I want you to have these."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out black rocks, which were Moon Stones.

"Now, it's time that I get this Game Corner running right away," said Lostelle's dad. "You should both come by later to try it out!"

Red and I said our goodbyes and headed back to the boat, back to One Island. Once we returned, we went straight to the Pokémon Center. Inside, Bill and Celio were standing side by side, looking quite proud. Bill heard us coming in and looked over at us, a smile on his face.

"Oh, hey! Leaf! Red," he called out, waving us over. "What kept you two so long? Been out have a good time?"

"Uh, not quite," I replied, grabbing the strap of my bag. "There was just a lot of stuff to do. Anyway, how are things here?"

"We got it done. The PCs are up and running!"

"The job went incredibly quick," commented Celio, both surprised and pleased. "Bill is one amazing guy…"

"No, no," said Bill, shaking his head modestly. "There was almost nothing left for me to do. Celio, I have to hand it to you. You've learned a lot."

"I did the best I could."

Bill looked back at me and said, "Well, there you have it. I'm finished with the job. We should head back to Kanto. Celio, I'll be seeing you again."

"Um, Leaf, Red," began Celio, now looking a little ashamed. "I'm really sorry that we sent you both off today. I promise, I'll show you around these islands sometime."

"Yeah, you'll be our tour guide," I said, chuckling a little.

We then said our goodbyes to Celio and Bill, Red, and I went back to the boat. As we went further away from the islands, I felt eager to return again here. Someday soon, I'll come back. After about twenty-five minutes, we made it back to Cinnabar Island.

"Hey, wasn't that a long cruise," asked Bill as we disembarked.

"It kind of was," I replied, jumping down from the boat and onto the earth of the island. "Still, it was a lot of fun being there."

"My buddy Celio seemed to enjoy your company. I'm sure he'd welcome you if you were to visit him again."

At that, Red looked up, as if this was very interesting information.

"If you have a Tri-Pass," continued Bill. "You can always take a ferry there from Vermilion Port. All right, thanks, guys, for your company!"

Bill then boarded a smaller boat, which was probably heading to Vermilion City. All that was left to do now was head over to Viridian City to get our final badge. But, there was something else I wanted to do before going there.

"Red, can we go back to Pallet Town," I asked, getting his attention. "I feel a little homesick."

"Sure," he said as we sent out Breeze and Fearow. We climbed onto our bird Pokémon and flew back to Pallet Town, back home. It was where everything began.

* * *

_**A/N: Longest chapter ever! But, hey, you guys deserve it! Also, don't ever bother Leaf when she's sleeping. She loves her sleep and will attack anyone who interferes with it. So, you guys do know why Red was blushing after his battle with the Swimmer, right? For those who don't know, in the game, that particular Swimmer says that a Pokemon bit through her swimsuit, which means either she's entirely exposed, or certain parts of her are. I'll leave up to your imagination whether Red saw anything or turned away in embarrassment and didn't see anything.**_


	22. Back to Where It All Began

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

_She gazed at the sky, staring at the clouds that lazily drifted by. She was very prone to doing this from time to time, a habit instilled into her from her father. The other children in her class were off playing games, like tag, hide-and-seek, and "House." She didn't quite like playing with them much because they always assigned her a role. To her, it felt like they were taking her freedom away when really they just wanted her to play with them. So, instead, she chose to be on her own, occasionally watching them play. In a way, she was fascinated by the other children. She'd watch them interact with each other, and from that, she'd learn some facts about them that they didn't know she figured out._

_Even so, it didn't compare to daydreaming while watching the clouds, analyzing all their different shapes. It relaxed her, and it always helped her to think things through when she was confused about something. The grass beneath her felt soft, making her want to take a short nap. A shadow then loomed over her, and it took her a couple of seconds before realizing that a boy was staring down at her, his hands resting on his knees as he stared._

_"Are you spacing out," he asked, tilting his head slightly._

_"Sorta," she replied, her brown eyes struggling to focus on the boy._

_"You're weird, you know that," he said, indifference on his face._

_"Yeah, I do know that."_

_"Hmph," he muttered, standing up straight._

_She sat up from her spot, turning to get a better look at the boy. He was wearing a long sleeved dark purple shirt with black pants and brown shoes. He crossed his arms over his chest as he examined her, already making judgments based on her appearance._

_"Why do you wear black all the time," he asked her, expressing his distaste for her wardrobe choice. "You're always in black dresses."_

_"'Cause my dad died a year ago," she said flatly, as if the very mention of her loss no longer affected her._

_"Oh."_

_He looked away momentarily, now feeling awkward about the whole conversation. The girl went back to lying down on the grass, letting her mind empty._

_"How come you don't have any friends? I heard that you're actually nice and stuff to other people in class," continued the boy, looking back down at her._

_She didn't answer but gazed absently at him._

_"Hello? Did you even hear me," he asked with an annoyed tone._

_The girl blinked before her eyes focused on him._

_"Did you say something," she asked, confused at his annoyance._

_"You're really annoying! Especially when you're sulking like that!"_

_"I wasn't sulking," she suddenly said with annoyance of her own. "I was ignoring you because you're not saying anything interesting!"_

_"I don't hear you saying interesting stuff!"_

_"Oh, yeah? Did you know that there are over 150 species of Pokémon in four different regions?"_

_The boy was caught off-guard at that, surprise on his face before fading into confidence._

_"I already knew that," he said, covering up his ignorance. "But I guess it takes some people longer to figure it out."_

_"Your face didn't say that," remarked the girl, smirking slightly._

_"I did know! My gramps is Professor Oak and he told me that before!"_

_The girl tilted her head curiously at him, a spark of surprise in her brown eyes. The boy smirked back at her, confident that she would start apologizing and admiring him for being the grandson of a famous researcher. Almost everyone did that, and those who didn't were intimidated by his grandfather's fame. Unfortunately, this made him unprepared for the girl's next comment._

_"For someone who's grandpa is a well-known scientist, I thought that they'd be a lot smarter," she said, disappointment in her voice._

_"Are you calling me stupid," loudly asked the boy, infuriated by the girl's attitude._

_"Oh, you figured it out. Do you want a gold star?"_

_The boy just stared angrily at her before walking away, leaving her alone._

_"Finally," she said, staring back at the clouds. Just who was that boy? She's never seen him before. Or, maybe she did but doesn't remember? One thing was for sure is that he wasn't in her class so that was a relief._

_She didn't think of him again until the school day was over. She waited outside, watching as kids of various ages were picked up by their parents or simply walked home. Those who walked were either on their own, accompanied by someone else, or were in a group. Eventually, it was only her and a few other kids waiting for someone to pick them up or killing time before going home. The girl soon saw her mother's figure not far away, and she waited patiently until her mother arrived._

_"Mommy," cried the girl, running up to her mother once she was close enough._

_"Leaf, how was school today," calmly asked her mother, smiling as her daughter hugged her legs._

_"It was good, but there was this dumb boy—"_

_"Clover? Is that you," asked an unrecognizable voice._

_Both Leaf and her mother turned their heads to look. A teenage girl with light brown hair wearing a green dress and headband stared curiously at them until a smile slowly grew on her face._

_"Oh, it is you," she said, walking up to them. "How are you? I haven't seen you since… Well, anyway, it's great to see you again."_

_"Daisy, it has been a long while. I'm doing fine, thank you. And you? How are Violet and Zale?"_

_"Busy as always. They're working on getting photographs of different colored Pokémon."_

_"Different colored Pokémon? Like Pokémon with odd colors than usual?"_

_"Yes, but they're very hard to find. They haven't had much luck yet."_

_"I do hope they at least get a few photos before their deadline."_

_Daisy nodded and then looked down at Leaf, who was listening carefully to the whole conversation._

_"Hello, Leaf," said Daisy softly. "Do you remember me?"_

_"Daisy," called out another voice, causing everyone to look up. To Leaf's surprise, the boy from earlier was walking towards them._

_"I've been waiting forever and…"_

_The boy trailed off when he noticed Leaf, and their eyes widened in surprise._

_"You," they both said loudly, not too happy to see the other._

_"Blue," began Daisy, looking at her little brother. "This is Clover and Leaf. Don't you remember Leaf? You two used to play together as babies."_

_"I used to play with that guy," asked a shocked Leaf to her mom, pointing at Blue. She couldn't even imagine the sheer idea of getting along with him._

_"Why did you let her even come near me," demanded Blue to his sister._

_"Oh? So neither of you remembers," asked Daisy, confused._

_"Well, it has been a couple of years since the two of them played together," explained Leaf's mother. "Things have been so hectic in the past few years that we haven't arranged any play dates for them."_

_"But, we're neighbors. Why didn't the two play together on their own?"_

_"Leaf doesn't like being outside much. If she is, it's usually to stare at clouds and daydream. She'd much rather stay inside and read whatever is around or watch TV."_

_"Blue likes to be outside so I guess that explains why neither of them saw each other much."_

_During the conversation between Daisy and Leaf's mother, Leaf and Blue were making faces at each other. Leaf's mother noticed and tapped her daughter's shoulder, signaling her to stop._

_"He started it," said Leaf, pouting._

_"Liar," retorted Blue, crossing his arms over his chest._

_"Daisy, why don't you and Blue come over to my house," asked Leaf's mother. "Besides, I would love a cup of your great tea and catch up."_

_"That sounds wonderful. And, it will let these two get to know each other better."_

_"What," said both Leaf and Blue, obviously outraged._

_"Great. Let's head home now," said Leaf's mother, completely ignoring her daughter's question._

_The four of them walked home, Leaf and Blue walking behind the two older females. Leaf remained quiet, refusing to speak with Blue. Blue was also quiet, dreading the fact that he was going to be at an infuriating girl's house for a while. They eventually arrived at Leaf's house, letting their guests inside first. Leaf's mom pulled her aside and crouched down so that she was at eye level with her daughter._

_"Leaf, I need you to be nice to our guests," she said, earning a surprised look from Leaf._

_"What? Why? I don't like him! Why should I be nice to him," asked Leaf, displeased of the request._

_"He's your guest. You should always be nice to your guests because it's the polite thing to do. Would you like it if someone was being mean to you while you're visiting them?"_

_"I wouldn't care 'cause I'll know that I'll never go to their house again."_

_Her mother glared at her, and said, "Please, be a proper lady."_

_Leaf stomped on the ground with her right foot in annoyance and then walked inside. She didn't want to be polite or nice to Blue. All he had been doing was make her angry and annoy her. Besides, it's not like he would be nice to her if she was visiting him. Inside, Daisy and Blue were sitting at the table, waiting patiently. Well, at least Daisy was patient. Blue, on the other hand, already looked bored out of his mind. Leaf sat down across from Blue, staring at the table to avoid making eye contact with him. Blue noticed this, making him wonder why she found her own kitchen table so fascinating._

_"Would you like some snacks," asked Leaf's mom as she opened the pantry._

_"Pocky for me," said Leaf, waving her hand in the air._

_"Do you have any muffins," asked Daisy, getting up from the chair. "In the meantime, I'll start making the tea."_

_Leaf's mom placed a small box of pocky on the table along with a plastic container full of muffins. Blue opened it and picked out a chocolate chip muffin, taking a bite out of it as he watched Leaf eat her pocky._

_"Mom, I'm going to room now," said Leaf, getting up from the table and taking her box of pocky with her._

_"Why don't you have Blue join you to play with your NES," she asked, causing her daughter to freeze in place._

_"Ugh, really," thought Leaf with a sigh._

_"Um, okay," said Leaf, turning around and managing to smile. "Blue, do you want to play the NES with me?"_

_As soon as those words left her mouth, it felt like part of her soul just died. Blue was about to decline her offer when he noticed Daisy watching him from the corner of his eye. She had a pleading look in her green eyes, encouraging him to try to be friendly with the troublesome girl. He nodded slightly to Leaf's offer, getting up from the chair and taking his muffin with him. He followed her upstairs to her room, taking in the sight of it. There was a TV in the middle of the room, sitting on a small wooden table on a square blue rug. A NES was on the rug in front of the TV, another controller with its cord wrapped around it neatly laid beside it, possibly unused for a year or so._

_There was a bed on the far left, white blankets with blue stripes neatly tucked over it. North of the bed was a desk, a mess of papers and crayons littering it. Next to the desk was a bookcase, books about Pokémon organized, to Blue's surprise, in alphabetical order on its shelves. There was also a cardboard box on top of the bookcase for some reason._

_"So, what game do you want to play," asked Leaf, sitting down in front of the NES. She grabbed the second controller and began to unwrap the cord around it._

_"What games do you have," asked Blue, looking around for any other NES games._

_Leaf stopped what she was doing and stood up, walking over to her bookcase. She picked up the cardboard box on the bookcase and carefully set it down on the floor next to Blue._

_"Pick whatever you want to play," she said, sounding somewhat bored already._

_Blue got down on his knees and opened the box, looking inside at the games. The games were in their cases, also in alphabetical order. He never would have guessed that she was very organized. He started to look through them, wondering which one the two of them should play. Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Duck Hunt (including the toy gun), Excitebike, Ice Climber, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Metroid, all three Super Mario Bros. games, Tetris, Wrecking Crew… She had quite a collection so far. He picked out Dr. Mario, figuring Leaf wouldn't be too good at puzzle games._

_"That one," asked Leaf, plugging in the second controller to the NES. "I'm pretty good at 'Dr. Mario.'"_

_"We'll see," said Blue, putting the game in._

* * *

_"That's the tenth time already," said a frustrated Leaf, setting her remote down as she saw the winning screen on Ice Climber. "I'm not playing anymore."_

_"Stop being a sore loser," said Blue, watching as she walked to her bookcase and grabbed a book._

_"I'm not being a sore loser! I'm just tired of playing already."_

_Leaf sat down on her bed, opening the book to where a bookmark was nestled in the middle. Blue stared at the book, which read, "Pokémon Types." She probably does a lot of reading to know a lot about Pokémon, considering her comment earlier. He didn't like being told things he didn't know about, especially from annoying girls like Leaf. And yet, part of him was rather peeved at the fact that she'd much rather read a book instead of play another game on the NES with him. It wasn't like he was the most unbearable person alive. That's what he thought, anyway._

_"Is it that much fun to read," asked Blue, turning off the NES._

_"It is to me," replied Leaf, not bothering to look up from her book. "What? You don't read or something?"_

_"I do read! Just not as much as other people because I have better things to do."_

_Leaf looked up from her book, eyeing him suspiciously before smirking a little._

_"Can you read this page for me," she said, holding out her book for him to see. "Some of the words are too hard for me."_

_She sat down next to him, handing him her book. Blue stared a moment at the page, all mostly words with a picture of a Ponyta on it. Leaf watched him expectantly, waiting for him to begin reading to her. He handed the book back to her, earning a confused look from her._

_"I don't read to idiots," he said, turning away a little._

_"You don't read or you don't know how to read," she asked, tilting her head slightly._

_Blue grew silent, refusing to answer Leaf. He wasn't much of a reader, preferring to do more physical activities. Unfortunately, this has made him struggle greatly with reading. He was already waiting for Leaf to ridicule him, to humiliate him for his inability._

_"I can show you if you want," said Leaf, moving so that she was beside him again. "I don't mind."_

_"Why would you do that," asked Blue, looking at her skeptically. "Aren't you going to make fun of me instead?"_

_"Why would I do that," she asked, giving him a questioning look. "If I can help someone out, I'm going to help them out."_

_She turned the pages of the book, starting back from the beginning._

_"Here, you read out loud, and I'll help you out if you need it," she said, holding the book so that the both of them could read it. At first, she thought that Blue wouldn't accept her help and leave. And if he did accept it, he'd be reluctant and uncooperative. To her surprise, he only sighed and began to read what he could. She held back a smile as she helped Blue sound out a word he was stuck on._

* * *

_Leaf pulled her hand back from the door, hesitant to knock. She was standing right in front of Blue's house and was wondering if she should make her presence known. She forced herself to knock, her other hand gripping the strap of her brown school bag. Leaf was extremely nervous about being there, unsure if Blue would even want to have her over. Yesterday, they were actually starting to get along as she helped him read. But, it could have been out of the moment._

_She lost her nerve and turned around, heading back to her house. She heard the door finally open and froze when she heard a familiar voice._

_"Leaf, what are you doing here," asked Blue from behind her._

_It was too late to run away now. She turned to face him, uncertain of how she should answer his question. She noticed that he was wearing a green shirt with blue pants while barefoot. She was wearing yet another black dress with white sandals._

_"Um, uh," she began, kicking at the dirt floor. "I was wondering if you wanted to walk to school with me. My mom usually walks with me, but I thought that it'd be nice if she didn't always have to do that for me. But, you don't have to if you don't want to. I'll just head home and—"_

_"You do know that it's Saturday, right," interrupted Blue, raising an eyebrow at her._

_"Huh," she said in disbelief._

_"Yeah, it's Saturday. Don't you have a calendar?"_

_"Aw, man, I lost track of my days! Sorry, I'll head home then," said Leaf, turning around again and walking back. As she did so, she began to question her intelligence for not knowing that it was the weekend._

_"Hey, Leaf," called out Blue, causing her to look over her shoulder. "You want to come in for breakfast? Daisy is cooking eggs and making toast."_

_This time, Leaf couldn't hold back the smile on her face at what he said. She nodded, running back to his house. This would be a great opportunity to show Blue her idea of putting an egg cooked over easy over a slice of toast that had a spread of jam on it._

* * *

_If there was one thing Leaf was sure of, it was that she was happy. She was happy being friends with Blue. No, they were more like best friends after their first meeting six months ago. They were almost inseparable now. At school, they had different classes, which would explain why Blue had seen her around before talking to her. Even so, they still played together during recess. Sometimes, they'd lie down on the grass and stare at the clouds while talking about whatever. Other times, he'd actually get her to play a sport or anything else physical like racing. He'd always win when they played a sport but she didn't mind. One of the things she enjoyed most with Blue was walking around and talking. They'd wander around aimlessly, both at school and around Pallet Town, talking about whatever came to mind for many hours._

_At school, some people in her class were surprised that she and Blue were best friends. They asked her how she can put up with someone as obnoxious as him while others expressed jealousy of being the best friend of the grandson of Professor Oak. She had a confused look on her face and asked, "He's obnoxious? He isn't like that around me." Not many kids questioned her about her friendship with Blue after that._

_She wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed but there were changes between her and Blue. She had become more active and had more of a sense of adventure. She also had more confidence than before, thanks to Blue's support and encouragement. For Blue, he was a lot better at reading and would occasionally check out books from the library for him and Leaf to read together. He even brought Leaf to his grandfather's lab since he knew that she loved to learn about Pokémon._

_"Leaf," said Blue, pulling Leaf from her thoughts. "How did your dad die?"_

_They were at the beach of Pallet Town, sitting on the sand as they built a sandcastle. He was wearing a blue shirt with jean shorts that ended at his knees while she wore a white sundress. He was working on a tower as she built the wall around the castle._

_"Some kind of sickness," she replied, shaping the sand wall carefully. "I remember going to the hospital a lot. The last time I saw him alive, he looked really bad. My mom always told me that he'll come back home, but after seeing him like that, I didn't think he would."_

_"What do you remember the most about your dad?"_

_"He sometimes would take me outside, and we'd lie in the grass. He'd tell me what shapes he saw in the clouds and asked me what I saw. Then there were all those times he read to me. He's the one who taught me how to read."_

_Blue was quiet, taking in all the information. Leaf looked up at him, a little concerned for his sudden silence._

_"Blue," she began, pulling her hands away from the complete sand wall. "What about your parents? I don't think I've seen them yet."_

_"They're busy," he said, putting a seashell on top of the tower he made. "They're always busy. I'm lucky to see them once a month."_

_"What do they do?"_

_"They're photographers. They take photos of Pokémon, people, places, or whatever else they need for a magazine they work for."_

_It was Leaf's turn to be quiet. She thought it was kind of sad how, even when you have both parents, there's a possibility that you can never spend much time with them. It was almost the equivalent of not having any parents at all. There was a sound of a truck stopping, causing the both of them to look up. There was, indeed, a truck—a moving truck—parked in front of the empty house near their houses. They got up and walked over to see who was moving in. They stood by Blue's house, tip-toeing to see their new neighbors. A woman was the first to get off the truck, her black hair done up in a bun. By the shape of her body, Leaf guessed she was probably the same age as her mom. However, her face was different. Her face looked older than it should, lines by her eyes and mouth while slight dark circles were around her eyes. Leaf wasn't sure but she thought one of those dark circles looked kind of like a black-eye._

_A black-haired man followed after the woman, and he glanced over at Leaf and Blue. However, it was anything but a glance. It was a glare, and it sent shivers down Leaf's spine. It wasn't just the glare but also the aura around him that frightened her. She had never seen someone with such a terrifying air around them. That's when a boy climbed down from the truck. He also had black hair and was wearing a red and white vest over a black shirt. His blue pants looked worn out but still in good condition to wear. He also noticed Leaf and Blue, giving them a quick glance before heading inside after his family. From that brief glance, Leaf saw misery in his dark brown eyes._

* * *

_"I'm going to go over and ask if that kid can play," said Leaf, heading over to the new neighbors' house. "Besides, we should welcome them to the neighborhood!"_

_"They barely moved in yesterday," said Blue, following his best friend as she skipped. "They're probably not settled in yet."_

_"We can still greet them and stuff. There's no harm in that."_

_Today, she was wearing a blue dress with white polka dots, and white sandals. Blue was wearing a black shirt with brown shorts and black shoes. They arrived at the front door of their new neighbor. Leaf knocked three times, hoping that the man from yesterday wouldn't answer. To her relief, it was the woman instead._

_"Oh, hello," she said softly, smiling lightly._

_"Hi," said Leaf, waving a little. "I'm Leaf and this is Blue. We're your new neighbors, and we came by to welcome you to Pallet Town."_

_"Thank you so very much. We haven't quite settled in yet, but it's nice to have someone welcome you."_

_"I was wondering but can your son come out to play with us?"_

_"I'm sure Red would love that. He always has a hard time making new friends," she said, looking inside. "Red! Can you come down here?"_

_She didn't really yell, only slightly raised her voice. Leaf took this opportunity to look up at the woman while they waited for Red. Leaf's stomach felt like it was tying up in a knot when she observed her face. It turned out that she wasn't imagining that the woman had a black-eye. She really did have one, but it was already fading. What made it obvious was that her left eye had the dark circle, probably from a lack of sleep, but the right eye had more of a bluish tint to it, much like a bruise. It took every effort for Leaf to keep her mind from assuming something was going on in this family, though her mind was already putting together pieces of this jigsaw puzzle. Even though Leaf loved solving jigsaws, this was one puzzle she didn't want to complete. It was the finished image when it was solved that scared her._

_The boy, Red, finally showed up, looking at Leaf and Blue with surprise. He looked up at his mother, silently asking for an explanation._

_"Red, meet your new neighbors Leaf and Blue," said his mother, her voice soft as ever. "They came over to welcome us and they want you to play with them."_

_Red looked somewhat hesitant about the idea, but nodded, stepping outside._

_"Be careful and have fun," said Red's mom, watching as the three of them walked away._

_"Okay, so what should we do first," said Leaf, bringing a hand to her chin in thoughtfulness._

_"We can show him the beach," said Blue, pointing in the direction of the sea. "It's pretty much the only exciting thing here anyway."_

_"Sure! So, Red, what's your favorite color? My favorite color is blue," said Leaf, walking towards the beach._

_Red was silent, causing Leaf to look at him curiously._

_"What's the matter? Meowth got your tongue," asked Leaf, chuckling a little._

_"Why, exactly, did we invite this guy," asked Blue, earning a punch from Leaf._

_"Be nice," she said, looking back at Red. "Hey, can you even talk? You're not mute, are ya?"_

_Red shook his head, which confused Leaf._

_"Does that mean, 'No, you can't talk,' or 'No, you are mute.'?"_

_"I can talk," said Red in a very low voice that Leaf barely caught it._

_"Okay, but you don't have to be shy around us. We don't bite or anything," explained Leaf, shrugging a little. "So, yeah, what's your favorite color?"_

_"It's red, Blue."_

_"Uh, I'm Leaf. That's Blue," said Leaf, pointing at Blue who was walking beside her._

_"Oh. I thought you were Blue because you said that was your favorite color, and it's also a girl's name."_

_"What did you say," demanded Blue while Leaf began to laugh._

_"'Blue' is a girl's name," said Red, his voice a little louder than before._

_Blue cut in front of Leaf, but she quickly stepped in between the two boys, her hands on Blue's shoulders to keep him away from Red._

_"Whoa, whoa," she said, finally overcoming her laughter. "We're not here to fight. We're here to play with Red."_

_"He said that I have a girl's name," said Blue, his anger obvious._

_"So? It's not like it means that you really are a girl!"_

_"He's acting like one now," added Red, causing Blue to try to move around Leaf, but she kept her hands firm on him._

_"Blue," she said, looking at him with a serious look. "Please, be nice."_

_It wasn't often that Leaf would look at him like that nor did she ask with a pleading tone._

_"Fine," he said, looking away from her. Leaf smiled and hugged him in thanks. She then looked back at Red, a look on her face that asked that he should also behave._

_"C'mon, guys," she said, grabbing one of their hands in her own. "Something tells me that we're going to have a lot of fun today!"_

* * *

_It's been well over a year since Red had moved into Pallet Town. Leaf and Blue's duo had now become a trio. During that year, the frightening man, undoubtedly Red's father, had disappeared. Leaf once asked Red about this, but all he said was that he was glad the man finally left. After his father left, Hazel, Red's mother, began to socialize more, particularly with Leaf's mother._

_Red also began to socialize more, if you consider talking in a slightly louder voice and being more open to Blue and Leaf as socializing. However, he didn't really like playing any rigorous activities with his two friends, but he was content with watching. He got along more with Leaf than Blue since she really enjoyed reading and other non-active pastimes. He could get along with Blue, but Leaf made it slightly easier for them._

_It was during this year that the incident with the broken vase that cut Leaf's leg had occurred. She even got to meet Blue's parents for the first time, albeit briefly. It was also this year, to Leaf's delight, that she had grown taller than her two friends. She wasn't sure how long she'd remain the tallest but she was sure to take advantage of it._

* * *

_The trio was now ten years old. Leaf was still the tallest, though both boys were only an inch or so shorter than her. The three of them were always together, so much that some began to think of them as their own group. Red and Blue could finally socialize with each other without Leaf's help or presence. Leaf was happy to know about this since it meant that they had made great progress, considering that the two boys were virtually polar opposites._

_Over the years of their friendship, Leaf always enjoyed eating pocky with her friends. She ate in the same way her parents did. Both Red and Blue felt awkward about it at first, but it grew on them. However, Leaf recently realized that when they ate pocky with her now, their faces would get a little red. She thought it was peculiar that they were getting this kind of reaction when they didn't before. She didn't want to ask her mother about this, opting instead to figure it out herself._

_Her mother had bought her a computer, mainly for school assignments, so Leaf used it to do her own research. She ran a search for "What does it mean when someone's face turns red?" What she found surprised her. The computer said that "a flushing of the face is usually the first sign of a fever." This made her a little worried that her friends were getting such sudden fevers. She'd have to tell Daisy and Hazel about it so they can take Blue and Red to a doctor._

_Even when everything seemed so great between the three of them, it all fell apart. Leaf never understood how it happened, and she couldn't figure it out because the one person who knew the reasons didn't want to speak to her again. It was so sudden that she had no idea what caused it or how to handle it. She was at the beach on her own, collecting seashells for an art project at school. She, wearing a blue skirt with a light green shirt, kneeled on the sand, inspecting a group of seashells that had washed up. Whatever she thought would work for the project, she placed it in a small bucket she brought with her. She noticed a figure walking toward her, and she looked up, seeing Blue._

_"Hi, Blue," she said cheerfully, placing a seashell in the bucket. "I'm collecting some seashells. Do you want—"_

_She was cut off when Blue kicked sand right at her face. Leaf immediately brought her hands up to cover her face, though it was useless since sand had already gone into her eyes and mouth. Her hands began to rub furiously at her eyes as she spit out the sand in her mouth._

_"Why did you do that for," she asked angrily, her eyes tearing up from the pain._

_"You're an idiot," said Blue, his voice harsh. "I'm not going to hang around with a loser like you! Don't bother coming over to my house ever again!"_

_Leaf managed to open her eyes, watching the blurred shape of Blue walk away. Despite the sand still in her eyes, she got up and ran after him. She grabbed his hand when she caught up with him, her eyes crying from the sand stinging them._

_"Blue, why are you acting this way," she said, hurt from both his actions and words. "What happened? What did I do?"_

_"If you don't know, then you really are an idiot," he said, pulling his hand away from her. "Leave me alone already."_

_"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you tell me!"_

_"Why don't you go ask your best friend Red," said Blue, looking at her with disdain. "The both of you are always together so he might know."_

_"Blue, you're my best friend, too," said Leaf, tears staining her dirty cheeks from the sand._

_"Not anymore."_

_Blue began to walk away again, but Leaf refused to let him go. She couldn't let their friendship just end like this. She'll do whatever she can to fix it, to make it all better. She was willing to give up anything to keep their friendship. She reached for his arm, gently gripping him so he could stay. She didn't expect him to push her away, which caused her to lose her balance and fall down. She turned a bit before falling, scraping her left leg and forearm on the ground. She looked up at him in shock, his brown eyes also surprised at what just happened. In her mind, she was hoping that he would help her up and apologize. In reality, he continued to walk away, not bothering a second look at her. Leaf got up, staring angrily at his back as he walked._

_"Fine," she yelled at him, making sure that he heard her. "Go ahead and leave! I don't care! I still have Red with me! At least he's a true friend unlike you!"_

_She quickly turned away, walking back to her house. When she arrived home, she ran up the stairs to her room, grateful that her mother wasn't home at the moment. Once inside her room, she locked her door and threw herself at her bed, her anger dissipating to sadness. She cried into her pillow, soaking it with her tears. She had never seen that side of Blue. Usually, whenever Blue was angry, he'd either throw a tantrum or sulk. By doing one of those things, he made it clear how he was feeling, and Leaf was usually the one to pull him out of it._

_But from what she had just seen, she wasn't sure how to pull him out of this. He was angry about something, but this was a different type of anger. She didn't know what it was that was making him feel like that. She hated that she couldn't figure it out because her friendship was on the line. Or rather, it had already severed. He was serious about not wanting to be friends, and she couldn't take back the words she said. She really did care about him leaving. Even though she still had Red, it wasn't enough for her. Was it unappreciative? Maybe. But Blue held a special place in her heart for he was her first friend._

_She ended up crying herself to sleep. She didn't wake up until hours later, when there was a knock at her door. She got up, glancing at her clock. It read 7:24, already evening. It was probably her mother telling her that dinner was ready. She walked over to her door and opened it, surprised to see Red there._

_"Red," she asked, wiping her eyes. "Why are you here?"_

_After wiping her eyes, she realized there was dried sand around her eyelids, washed out of her eyes from her crying earlier. Red grabbed her chin gently, turning her face a little so that the light of the hallway hit her face._

_"You were crying," he said, letting go of her chin. "Why?"_

_Leaf looked down and beckoned him inside her room, turning on the light. She then told him everything that happened earlier with Blue. As she told him the story, she couldn't stop herself from crying again, stopping occasionally to clear her throat. At the end, Red told her that he was going over to Blue's house to try to fix everything. Leaf hugged him, happy that there was a chance to have everything the way it used to be. She waited in her room impatiently as Red went to Blue's. After about ten or fifteen minutes, Red walked in her room, his clothes dirty. There was a cut on his upper lip, and what looked like a forming bruise on his cheek._

_"What happened," asked Leaf, concerned about him._

_"We… We got into a fight."_

_Leaf slapped him after he finished saying that, her brown eyes both disappointed and hurt._

_"You idiot," she said, new tears flowing down her cheeks. "You were supposed to fix things! Not make it worse! I trusted you!"_

_"I tried! He started yelling, one thing led to another, and we started to fight. Daisy broke it up before it got any worse."_

_Leaf just stared at the floor, her hopes crushed by reality. That was it. Red was her only hope to fix everything and even he couldn't do it. There was no way Blue would listen to either of them now. There was nothing she could do but cry. Cry for her broken friendship and her lost friend. Red hugged her in an attempt to comfort her. She hugged him back, grateful that he's still with her and feeling bad about slapping him. Since the boy was shorter than her, she cried into his shoulder._

* * *

I woke up to a blank ceiling, sitting up groggily. I looked at my feet to see if Static, my Raichu, was there. He wasn't sleeping there. He probably got up and explored around my house. I threw off the covers and got up, heading for my door. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and do other personal things. When that was done, I went back to my room and changed, putting on a clean blue shirt and red skirt. I made my bed and then grabbed a clean pair of socks before heading downstairs.

I saw Static sitting at the table, eating toast with jam on it. He looked back at me, sparks of electricity on his cheeks in happiness. I sat down beside Static, trying not to think too much about the dreams I had last night.

"Good morning, Leaf," said my mom, picking up the hot tea kettle by the handle. "Static really likes that jam so I gave him some on toast. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that jam is made out of Oran berries so it's good for him," I replied, scratching behind Static's ear. "I feel kinda bad that I can't have my other Pokémon out of their pokéballs at home, but most of them are too big."

"But didn't you say you had a Dugtrio? They're not that large."

"Terra is a Ground-type. There's no telling what kind of destruction she'll do if she's released inside our house."

"Where are you heading after this," she asked, sitting down and setting the tea kettle on the table.

"Red and I have to go to Viridian City to get our last badge. Then, we can finally go to the Pokémon League."

"What will you do after that?"

"What," I asked, looking up at her.

"What are you going to do after you go to the Pokémon League?"

"Um… Keep training?"

"Oh," was all my mom said, pouring tea into a tea cup. It looked like she was disappointed with my answer. But, isn't it good to be a Pokémon Champion? Why should that disappoint your parents?

"I'm going to the beach for a bit," I said, getting up from the table.

"You're not going to eat any breakfast?"

"I have some pocky in my bag. I'll eat that."

I grabbed my bag from the table and looked through it to find my box of pocky. I took one out and put one end of it in my mouth. I looked down and saw Static staring up at me, his head tilted to the side a bit in curiosity. I kneeled down, letting him sniff at the pocky stick before nibbling it. I smiled and petted his head before standing up.

"You can stay here with mom," I told him, putting on my socks and shoes. "Mom could use the company."

Static nodded then ran back to his seat, eating up his jam toast. I went outside into the warm air and slowly walked to the beach. I stopped for a moment, staring at Blue's house that stood diagonally across from mine. I sighed a bit, remembering all the times when he'd sometimes come to my house, or I'd go to his, and we would walk to school together. I kept walking, chewing on the pocky stick until I arrived at the beach. I sat down on the sand, staring at the sea as the salty breeze blew calmly.

* * *

_**A/N: I really liked writing this chapter, and I hope that you'll also like it. I'd like to thank CATSthewriter for drawing me a nice picture of Red and Leaf. I really love it! If you guys want to take a look for yourselves, I have the link in my profile. By the way, my profile is the best place to check if you want to know the current status of upcoming chapters. Although, I don't update it that often. Anyway, thank you all for reading and reviewing!**_


	23. The Road to Victory

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

I had no idea how long I was staring at the ocean, eating pocky while I reminisced. After that fight I had with Blue, Red and I hung out together. I was glad that we were still friends, but my mind couldn't help but think about Blue. I was so confused about the fight, not understanding the cause of it. He told me that I was an idiot if I couldn't figure it out. And I can't. Am I really an idiot then? But it's hard to finish a puzzle when there are pieces missing. Blue was holding those pieces and was determined to not let me get a hold of them. So, did that mean that this would be an unsolved puzzle? That it will go on forever incomplete?

I turned my head to the right at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Red, and he sat down beside me on the sand.

"Hey, Red," I said, looking back at the sea. "Warm morning, isn't it?"

"You don't usually talk about the weather," said Red, looking over at me.

"I was going for something light to talk about."

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just had some crazy dreams last night."

"Oh."

We grew silent, watching the calm push and pull of the water. However, something was bothering me. There was another puzzle that had to be solved, one that involved me and Red. I looked over at him, staring at his facial features. For as long as I've known him, he always looked older than he was. He sure acted like it, too. Whereas Blue was more impulsive and liked to take action, Red thought things over, rarely taking risks. Red would push me to think more while Blue pushed me to act more.

"Red, when did we stop being friends before," I asked, causing him to look at me.

"About a year after the thing with Blue," replied Red, concern in his eyes. "Why?"

"Just wondering. What… What were you feeling when it happened?"

It was difficult for me to ask that, mainly because I'm not one to talk about emotions. It was fine for me to express my own, but handling someone else's was different. That was what strained my friendship with Blue in the beginning. He was just so expressive sometimes that I wasn't sure how to react to it, be it anger, sadness, or plain irritability. But, once I knew what it was that made him feel that way, I pulled him out of it. I always did—Almost always did.

"That's something I should be asking you," said Red, catching me off-guard. "What did you feel about it? About me?"

"What I felt," I asked, turning my gaze to the sea. "I was mostly angry. Everything I tried to do with you, you didn't look like you were interested. Like it was a waste of time and you'd rather do something else."

"I sort of felt the same way. I was angry that no matter what I did for you, it wasn't enough. It felt like you only wanted Blue around instead of me."

"So, it's my fault then," I said, looking down at the sand. Now that he had told me this, I realized what I did. Red had stuck by me through everything, but all I did was cry for Blue, who didn't want anything more to do with me. I did eventually accept the fact that he and I were no longer friends. It might have already been too late since I had unintentionally lowered Red's self-esteem. He didn't feel good enough to be my friend, just like how I don't feel good enough compared to Blue now. How could I have been so stupid? So ungrateful? So horrible?

"I'm sorry," I said, not daring to look at him. "I guess I was so hurt from what Blue did that I didn't see what you were doing for me. I'm really sorry about everything."

It was taking all of my effort to keep myself from crying. I wasn't even sure if Red would forgive me.

"It's all right," he said calmly. "I should have tried harder and stuck by you no matter what."

I grabbed his hand, holding it in my own, and leaned my head against his upper arm. If we were still ten-year olds, my head would have been uncomfortably against his shoulder. It's a relief that he grew so much in the past five years.

"Thanks, Red," I slowly said. "Thanks for everything."

I looked up at him, noticing that he was hit by another fever.

"A fever," I said in panic, pulling away from him. "Seriously, Red! We have to get you to a doctor!"

"I don't have to go to a doctor."

"Then how are you getting all these random fevers? I don't think there's a disease that does that."

"It's not a big deal," said Red, getting up. "I think we should get to Viridian City now."

"Right! We only need one more badge before going to the Pokémon League."

I got up too, and we went back to our houses to gather our things. With my bag fully stocked and my pokéballs safely clipped to my belt, I was more than ready for Viridian City.

* * *

I was patiently waiting for Red outside the gym. He decided to go in first, but he sure is taking a long time. I think this gym has a lot of gym trainers in it. It's not so surprising since it is the final gym in Kanto. To pass the time, I took out my Town Map to see all the places I've traveled through. I pretty much covered all of Kanto. There was still the path to the Pokémon League, and it wouldn't hurt to back-track to the places I've visited before. Who knows? Maybe I missed something during my first run through a route or city. But, I'll do that when I have the time. I heard the door to the gym open up, and I looked to see Red, who seemed very shocked about something.

"Red? Are you okay," I asked, walking up to him. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"You're not going to believe who the gym leader is," he said, calming down a little.

"Who is it?"

"You should go in and see for yourself."

He then started to walk away, heading to the Pokémon Center. I watched him leave for moment before looking back at the gym. Red said that I wouldn't believe who the gym leader is so… Who are people I know that I wouldn't suspect of being a gym leader? I know! It's probably Bill! No, he's more of a collector than a battler. It's probably Mr. Fuji. Then again, if he were a gym leader, he wouldn't have been taken hostage by Team Rocket. Professor Oak? No, that's just stupid.

Well, there was only one way to solve this. I walked inside the gym, greeted by the gym statues and man there. The statues didn't say who the leader was, which was really convenient for them.

"Hey," I said, getting the man's attention. "Who's the gym leader?"

"Even I don't know," he replied, shrugging. "But, I'm sure whoever it is will be the toughest of all gym leaders. I also heard that the trainers here like Ground-type Pokémon."

How could he work here and not know who the gym leader was? The guy before him probably got fired so this was a new guy. I looked down at the floor, seeing tiles with arrows on them. Huh… The last time I saw those things was in the Rocket Hideout in Celadon City. Well, this was going to be a lot of fun. I stepped on one of the tiles, sending me straight into a rubber mat. A trainer was standing right in front of me, and I knew that I was going to be challenged to a battle.

It didn't take very long to defeat him. I then moved around him and found more arrowed tiles. I stepped on one, which sent me to another mat. I walked around the corner at the end, meeting up with a karate guy. He only had one Pokémon on him, which made the battle fast. I stepped on another arrowed tile, sending me to yet another mat. This is definitely a lot easier than the Rocket Hideout, where I was sliding all over the place trying to find a way out. Though, I ended up back where I started.

It's mazelike, similar to the Rocket Hideout. It's probably a coincidence. I headed down a different path, ending up in a room with three other trainers. I sighed, knowing that this was going to be a while. I eventually found my way around, but I stopped before I turned around the corner. I got the feeling that I should heal up my Pokémon before I did anything else. I turned around and headed to the Pokémon Center. After my Pokémon were all healed, I dashed back to the gym, determined to get that last badge. Just one more badge, and it's the Pokémon League. I couldn't suppress the excitement I felt at that as I walked through the gym. Nothing was going to stop me. Not even…

"Giovanni," I yelled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't expect to the see the Rocket Boss here of all places.

"Welcome to my hideout," he said, chuckling a little at my shock. "It shall be so until I can restore Team Rocket to its former glory. But, you and that boy have found me again. So be it."

I could only stare in silence, but came to my senses when I saw him grab a pokéball from his belt.

"This time," he said, glaring at me. "I'm not holding back! Once more, you shall face Giovanni, the greatest trainer!"

He threw his pokéball and sent out a Rhyhorn while I quickly sent out Rain to battle against it. I had Rain use Surf, knowing too well of Rhyhorn's type disadvantage. With that, Rhyhorn was defeated, and yet Giovanni sent out another one. This guy must really like Rhyhorn. Surf brought it down, prompting Giovanni to send out his next Pokémon, a Nidoqueen. I wasn't sure about Nidoqueen's typing, but since this gym specialized in Ground-types so Rain still has a type advantage. I had him use Ice Beam, sending out a blast of ice at the opposing Pokémon.

Nidoqueen gave in to the attack, collapsing in defeat. Giovanni then sent out a Nidoking, continuously glaring at me throughout the entire battle. I ordered Rain to use another Ice Beam, quickly defeating the Nidoking. I slowly breathed out, doing my best to keep calm and not get intimidated by the Rocket Boss. The last Pokémon he sent out was a Dugtrio, and I got a little worried. Dugtrio are pretty fast, and Lapras aren't known for their speed. Luckily, the Quick Claw Rain had been holding allowed him to strike first with Surf.

Dugtrio took the full force of the attack and wasn't able to battle any longer. Giovanni quietly returned his Pokémon to its pokéball, looking down in defeat. However, he looked back up at me, a smirk on his face.

"That was a truly intense fight," he began, reaching into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "You have won. As proof, here is the Earth Badge."

I tentatively walked toward him, Rain watching intently as I approached the gym leader. I reached out with my hand, and he placed the green feather-shaped badge into my hand.

"The Earth Badge makes all Pokémon obey without question," explained Giovanni, staring down at me. "It is evidence of your mastery as a Pokémon trainer. With it, you can challenge the Pokémon League."

I put away the badge in my case, finally completing it. I noticed Giovanni holding out another item for me, which turned out to be a TM.

"Take this TM," he said as I accepted it from him. "Consider it a gift for your Pokémon League challenge. It contains Earthquake. It is a powerful attack that causes a massive tremor. I made it when I ran the gym here, far too long ago…"

I put away the TM as well, and then looked back at him, unsure of what else he was going to do.

"Having lost in this fashion, I can't face my followers," he said, his tone carrying disappointment. "I have betrayed their trust. As of today, Team Rocket is finished forever!"

He walked past me but stopped when he was a few feet away from me. He looked back at me over his shoulder, his resolve obvious.

"As for myself, I shall dedicate my life to training again," he said calmly. "Let us meet again someday! Farewell!"

He walked on ahead, leaving me alone with Rain. I slowly walked to Rain, the Lapras lowering his head so that we were at eye level.

"We did it, Rain," I said, hugging his head. "We can go the Pokémon League now! I couldn't have done it without you."

He seemed just as happy as I was feeling now. I returned him to his pokéball and headed outside. When I was outside, a thought occurred to me. What would happen to Viridian gym with Giovanni gone? Would it make challenging the Elite Four impossible now? I don't think the Pokémon League would allow that. I mentally shook my head as I walked to the Pokémon Center. I didn't see Red around, but it wouldn't hurt to heal up Rain. In a few minutes, I was back outside, looking around for Red.

I looked over in the direction of Route 22. Red couldn't have gone ahead to the Pokémon League without me, could he? He might be waiting for me in front of the gate. I walked down the route, making my way to the building at the end. When I had crossed a patch of tall grass and began to walk down the road, I saw the one person I wasn't looking for. In the middle of the road, staring up at the Pokémon League's gate, was Blue, his back facing me.

"B-Blue," I said, surprised to see him again. When was the last time I saw him? Oh, right… It was during that Team Rocket predicament at the Silph Co. building. Blue turned around, also surprised to see me.

"Leaf? It's a surprise to see you here," he said, his surprise shifting to arrogance. "So, you're going to the Pokémon League?"

"Well, I do have all eight badges now," I replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You collected all the badges, too? That's cool," he said, obviously not all that impressed.

He stared at me for a moment before smirking, grabbing a pokéball from his belt. I grabbed Static's pokéball, ready for what was coming up.

"Then, I'll whip you, Leaf, as a warm-up for the Pokémon League," he continued, a look of superiority on his face. "Come on!"

We both tossed our pokéballs, sending out a Pidgeot and Raichu. Pidgeot immediately attacked with Quick Attack, tackling Static. It knocked back Static a bit, but he countered with a Thunderbolt, electrocuting Pidgeot. The attack hit strongly, causing the large bird Pokémon to faint. I quickly switched out Static as Blue did the same for Pidgeot, sending out a Lapras and Rhyhorn respectively. This time, Rain attacked first, hitting the Rhyhorn with Surf. The strong water attack was enough to defeat the Rhyhorn.

I switched Pokémon again, sending Flare out to battle as Blue sent out Exeggcute. I ordered Flare to use a Flamethrower, fire bursting from his mouth that was more than enough for Exeggcute. I switched out Flare, and sent Static again to fight. Blue sent out his Blastoise, already annoyed that he was losing. Static attacked with Thunderbolt, but Blastoise endured the hit. However, it still weakened him greatly. Clouds began to suddenly gather, rain falling down around us. Was this Rain Dance? Whatever, I wasn't going to let a little rain hinder me. I ordered Static to use another Thunderbolt, finally bringing down Blastoise.

I switched Static out with Terra as Blue switched out his Blastoise with Growlithe. Terra quickly dug into the ground while Growlithe increased its speed with Agility. Terra, proving to be faster, struck from underneath, knocking out the Growlithe. Blue then sent out his last Pokémon, his Alakazam. I had Terra use Magnitude, which weakened the Alakazam. However, it seemed that the Psychic-type Pokémon was strengthening itself. The rain finally stopped, letting the sun shine through again. Another Magnitude was enough to defeat it.

"What," said Blue, frustrated that he lost but quickly regained his composure. "I was just being careless."

"If that's what you think," I said under my breath as I returned Terra to her pokéball. I watched Blue do the same for Alakazam, and he looked at me with that usual confidence of his.

"That loosened me up," he said, stretching his arms out. "I'm definitely ready for the Pokémon League. Leaf, you need more practice. But hey, you know that! I'm out of here. Smell ya!"

"Says the one who lost," I remarked as he began to walk away.

Watching him walk away reminded me of the day he walked away from me when our friendship was no more. Part of me wanted to call out to him, to chase after him, but I stayed still. No matter how much of a chance it was to try to figure out what went wrong all those years ago, it wasn't the right time. I can't ask him, not when he sees me as someone inferior to him. However, I couldn't help but sigh. Throughout all our encounters across Kanto, he's never talked to me more than he did the past five years. And, sometimes, it felt like I had the old Blue back. Or was I being delusional?

I brought a hand to my forehead. Why is this journey suddenly so confusing? It wasn't at first. Maybe, this is how it's supposed to be, and it'll all make sense soon. I figured I should continue ahead and wait for Red at the gate. I made my way to the building, stopping only to stare up at it. This was just a gate, and yet it had a somewhat intimidating appearance. I sat down by the fence, taking this time to rest a bit and wait for Red. I took out my badge case, staring at the complete set.

I smiled a bit, remembering all the battles I went through to earn those badges. My Pokémon helped me earn them all. I don't know where I'd be without them. Probably still stuck in Pallet Town, doing things that would benefit me in any way. It wasn't just them, either. Red has also helped me get better. I heard footsteps and looked up, closing up my badge case and putting it away in my bag. Red approached me, looking at me curiously.

"Leaf, how long have you been waiting there," he asked.

"Probably a few minutes," I replied, getting up.

"You got the Earth Badge?"

"Yep, and Giovanni has gone who knows where. He said he was going to do more training."

"The gym is leaderless then?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what the Pokémon League is going to do about that."

"They'll probably find someone else to run the gym. Anyway, should we head inside?"

I smiled and nodded, more than ready to go through the gate. We walked inside, entering a room with six gym statues and potted plants in each corner. A blue rug made a path to a doorway, where a guard stood watching us intently. What was it that Blue said so long ago? The guards will only let you by if you have the badges. I reached into my bag and took out my badge case again. I walked up to the guard and showed him my badges. Red opened up his vest a bit, where he had the badges pinned.

The guard examined our badges and then nodded, allowing us to pass through. We were outside again, a paved road leading us to another guard. We continued down the road, showing every guard we came across the necessary badges. We eventually reached a river, and we had Rain and Gyarados help us to cross it. Guards who were by the shore watched us until we showed them our badges. At the end of the short river, we reached land again, large rocks and tall grass forming the road. We walked on, ending up on paved road again. We finally reached the last guard, showing him our recently earned Earth Badges. He let us through, but we didn't much farther than that. We stopped when we saw the cave entrance ahead. I looked to the side, seeing a sign that read, "Victory Road Gate – Pokémon League."

"I guess this is the last obstacle," I said, feeling a little apprehensive. "I don't have to worry about you when we go through this, do I?"

"No," he replied, staring at the cave. "I'll see you on the other side."

He walked ahead of me, disappearing into the darkness of the cave. I took a deep breath and followed, prepared, I think, for what's up ahead. Inside, there was a large boulder on the left and path to the right. I followed the path to the right, but it was only a dead end with a weird white button thing. I stepped on it, nowhere close to pushing it with my weight. Well, it wouldn't be too good if I was able to. I remembered that boulder by the entrance, and thought it'd be perfect to weigh down the switch. I went back and released Flare from his pokéball, having him help me push the boulder to the switch. I'm not sure what the switch will do, but it should be good… Hopefully.

I went up a set of stairs, and ran into another trainer. She had mostly Fire-types so Terra was able to defeat them. I went down the stairs to the right and followed the path, finding another boulder. Flare moved it out of the way, and I found a TM on the floor behind it. I back tracked and went down the left set of stairs, meeting another trainer at the end of the path. This guy had starter Pokémon with him, having the evolutions of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, plus a Raticate. After I won the battle against him, I went up the ladder to the next floor. Nearby, I saw another boulder and white button. I had Flare push it to the button, and we quickly moved on.

I went up the stairs and came across a karate guy. Since he most likely had Fighting-types, I had Breeze battle against his Pokémon. After defeating him, he told me that it'd be helpful to move boulders around if I get stuck. Not that I wasn't doing that already. I found another button close by, but there wasn't a boulder nearby. It's probably somewhere farther away. A Juggler, who saw me, challenged me to a battle. He had only Psychic-types, but Dream was able to defeat them with Slam. However, the Juggler did tell me something useful. He said that he saw Blue already go through there. Every time I think I'm catching up with him, he ends up doing something that puts him far ahead. It was frustrating to always be at his heels.

I explored further into the cave, and met up with a Tamer and Juggler, who challenged me to a battle and lost. I found another TM on this floor and went up the ladder nearby to the third floor. On the third floor, I saw a boulder and explored the cave further to find the button for it. I eventually found, though it was pretty far off, and headed back to the boulder. Flare pushed it all the way to the button, and we headed back to the ladder. This time, I went up a set of stairs and ended up being challenged by another trainer. Once the battle was over, I followed the raised path until I found two other trainers.

I challenged both of them to get a little more experience for my Pokémon. Farther ahead, a boulder stood next to a hole in the ground. Flare pushed it into the hole, and he helped to get me safely down to the second floor. Now that the boulder was on the second floor, Flare was able to push it onto the button we missed. Up on the stairs nearby, we found that a new path was open that had a ladder. I climbed up the ladder and was challenged by a pair of trainers to a double-battle. Rain and Dream were able to defeat their Nidoking and Nidoqueen. When that was done, I went down a ladder close by. Back on the second floor, I took a few steps and jumped in surprise when I saw a guy standing to the side.

"You should be proud of yourself, having battled your way through Victory Road so courageously," he said, looking quite impressed. "In recognition of your feat, I'll teach you Double-Edge. Would you like me to teach that technique?"

"No, that's okay," I said, declining his offer. "But thanks!"

I saw sunlight pouring in through the exit of the cave and ran right for it. I was back outside, and I followed the path until I saw pavement and small columns. I made my way through that small maze and stopped when I reached a large set of stairs. Arches that had the pokéball symbol engraved into them were high above. This was it. The way to the Pokémon League. I walked up the stairs, knowing that the ultimate goal was just ahead. At the top of the stairs, Red stood there, staring up at the large building. I stood next to him, also gazing at the building. In my head, I was ready to take on the Elite Four. It wasn't what I was feeling, though.

"I'm not ready," I said, more to myself than to Red. "I have to train a little more."

"I was thinking the same thing," said Red, looking over at me.

We sent out Breeze and Fearow, and climbed on them, flying away from Indigo Plateau. As I watched it grow smaller the further we flew away, I knew that I'll take on the challenge of battling the Elite Four. For now, I had to focus on training my Pokémon.

* * *

_**A/N: Holy smokes, this story is already at the Pokemon League. Well, not officially, but still. I'd like to thank you all for reviewing the last chapter. Though, I'm a little surprised no one mentioned Red's family. Anyway, time to do a lot of level grinding before I write anything else. Good thing I stocked up on some Rare Candies in the game. That'll help to speed things up. I have to speed it up a bit, especially since the ultimate battle is coming up. We all know who's waiting at the end. You should, at least. TvTropes calls it a "late arrival spoiler."**_


	24. True Purpose

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau

I was very exhausted as I opened the door to my home. My mother, who was sitting at the table with a cup of tea and a magazine, looked up at me, worry in her eyes.

"Leaf, are you all right," she asked me, getting up from her seat.

"Yeah, just tired from training," I said, taking off my shoes and leaving them by the door. "Dream evolved again. She's a Dragonite now."

"Sit down," she said, leading me to the table. "I'll make you something to eat."

"I'm not really hungry right now," I said, staring at the table.

My mother sat down in her seat again and stared at me. I wasn't looking at her, but I could tell she was staring at me. I eventually looked up to meet her gaze, staring back at those bluish-gray eyes.

"Leaf, I'm growing very concerned about you training so much," she finally said.

"Red does the same thing. It's no big deal."

"But you're not Red. You're you. I don't think you should challenge the Elite Four."

"I have to," I retorted, raising my voice a little. "No matter what it takes, I have to challenge them."

"What are you going to do after you challenge them? You have to go back to school once your summer vacation ends."

"I know that. I didn't forget about school."

"What I want to know, Leaf, is what you plan to do with your life in the future. I don't think you should be a trainer anymore because, to me, the more you train, the more miserable you get."

"Where'd you get that idea," I asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Look, mom, I know you're worried about me and all, but the truth is that I don't know what I'm going to do in the future. Right now, I'm just focusing on the next step. I think that next step is the end of my journey, though."

I got up from the table and headed to my room, my exhaustion slowly getting the better of me. Once inside my room, I dropped my bag by the bed and lay down on the soft mattress. I was ready for the Elite Four, and I was a little anxious about what was going to happen the next day. Tomorrow would decide everything for me. By challenging and defeating the Elite Four, I will finally prove my worth to Blue. However, there was one thing that terrified me, a fact that I tried my best to not acknowledge no matter how blatantly obvious it was. Throughout this whole journey, Blue had been one step ahead of me and Red. Who's to say he hasn't beaten the Elite Four yet? It was a possibility, but I haven't heard anything about it. Surely such an accomplishment would have already arrived to Pallet Town. Daisy or Professor Oak would have told me about it if it happened. I pushed these anxieties aside so I could get some sleep.

The next day, I changed my clothes and departed Pallet Town, Breeze flying me to Indigo Plateau. I wasn't sure what Red was up to, but he'll challenge them when he was ready. Breeze descended to the front gate, and I returned him to his pokéball when I set foot on the ground. I looked up at the intimidating building, swallowing all apprehension before stepping through those doors. Inside, there was both a Pokémon Center and PokéMart there. I left my Pokémon with the nurse to heal up while I bought some items from the salesman nearby. I had to be prepared for the worst that can happen. I picked up my Pokémon after my short shopping errand and walked ahead, my heart pounding so loudly that I could hear it in my ears.

At the end of the short hallway was a large doorway. I knew that the first of the Elite Four would be beyond it. I took a deep breath as I walked through, remembering that I had to challenge all four of them in a row to succeed. The room was large and had blue tiles on the floor, six ice columns decorating it. It was definitely cooler in here than in the main lobby. A couple feet in front of me was a red-haired woman with glasses. Her long hair was up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a black, sleeveless low-cut shirt with a knee length purple skirt along with black heels.

"Welcome to the Pokémon League," she said calmly, smiling lightly at me. "I am Lorelei of the Elite Four."

"Nice to meet you," I said, covering up my nervousness with politeness. "I'm Leaf."

"No one can best me when it comes to icy Pokémon," she continued, ignoring my introduction. "Freezing moves are powerful. Your Pokémon will be at my mercy when they are frozen solid."

"Good thing I bought some Full Heals," I said, grabbing Static's pokéball.

"Are you ready," she asked me, laughing a little.

I nodded and we both threw our pokéballs at the middle of the arena. A Dewgong appeared from her pokéball, which seemed to give a bit of a type advantage. I ordered Static to use a Thunderbolt, severely weakening it with the powerful electric move. However, the Dewgong countered with Surf, striking Static with a wave of water. Lorelei then used a Full Restore to heal up Dewgong, but Static made it useless with another Thunderbolt. One more Thunderbolt defeated the Dewgong. The next Pokémon she sent out was a Cloyster, another Water/Ice Pokémon. Static attacked it with a Thunderbolt, but the Cloyster blocked it with a barrier. Damn, was that Protect? Static used another Thunderbolt, this time making the Cloyster faint from it.

Lorelei then sent out a Slowbro. I'm a little surprised that she isn't sending out any pure Ice-types yet. I shrugged a little, having Static use Thunderbolt on Slowbro. The move successfully hit, causing it to faint. The next Pokémon was a Lapras, making me feel a little nervous. Lapras are pretty strong, and I was worried that if Static didn't take it out fast enough, it would mean serious trouble. A Thunderbolt weakened it, but it wasn't enough. Lapras used Confuse Ray right after, confusing Static, and it even healed itself with a berry. I took the chance of having Static attack with another Thunderbolt, but he ended up hurting himself. Lorelei took advantage of the moment by having Lapras use Ice Beam, severely weakening Static. Any more hits and he'll probably pass out.

I took out a Full Restore and sprayed him with it, healing him while curing his confusion as well. Lapras then used Surf, which hurt Static quite a bit. However, Static brought down the Lapras with a good Thunderbolt. I thought I should give Static some rest, so I switched him out with Flare. Lorelei then sent out her last Pokémon, a Jynx. I can't say I've ever seen a Pokémon like that before. What typing is it? Well, since Lorelei obviously loves Ice-types, it probably has a weakness to fire. I had Flare use Flamethrower, blasting the Jynx with a continuous breath of fire. However, that didn't defeat it, and it used Attract, causing Flare to fall in love with Jynx.

I don't quite understand how Flare could fall in love with a Pokémon like that. Lorelei sprayed Jynx with a Full Restore, but Flare managed to attack Jynx with another Flamethrower despite his attraction to it. Ugh, that's difficult to say, much less think it. Another well-placed Flamethrower, much to my luck, defeated the peculiar Ice-type Pokémon. I let out a sigh of relief as I returned Flare to his pokéball.

"Things shouldn't be this way," said a shocked Lorelei as she called back her defeated Jynx.

"Well, they are," I said, watching as the door behind her opened up.

"You're better than I thought," she said reluctantly. "Go on ahead. You only got a taste of the Pokémon League's power."

As I walked towards the newly opened doorway, I knew Lorelei was right. If the first battle was that intense, how would the other battles be like? In the next room, golden tiles were on the floor, columns of rock at the sides of the arena. Sitting on the floor Indian-style was a shirtless buff man. His long messy black hair was in a ponytail, and he wore white training pants with huge metal bands around his wrists and ankles. It was a little surprising to see him barefoot, but it could be part of his training.

"I am Bruno of the Elite Four," he yelled, startling me. "Through rigorous training, people and Pokémon can become stronger without limit. I've lived and trained with my fighting Pokémon! And that will never change!"

"Um, okay," I said, not knowing what else I could say to that.

"Leaf," he yelled, making me wonder how the hell he knew my name. "We will grind you down with our superior power!"

"Bring it on," I said as we both sent out our Pokémon to battle.

I sent out Rain while he sent out an Onix. Wait, didn't this guy say he used Fighting-types? Why is he using Rock-types? Well, whatever. I had Rain start the battle with Surf, which should take out the Rock/Ground Pokémon. Indeed, that was more than enough. However, I don't think Rain should battle against his other Pokémon. Rain does have a weakness to Fighting-types, despite knowing Psychic. I switched out Rain and sent out Breeze while Bruno sent out Hitmonchan. I ordered Breeze to use Fly, which enabled him to evade Hitmonchan's incoming Rock Tomb. Breeze flew up high, and dived down at Hitmonchan, severely weakening it. However, the attack ended up backfiring because Hitmonchan was preparing a Counter, hitting Breeze with twice the damage he delivered. It knocked out Breeze unconscious, so I returned him to his pokéball.

I'll have to use a Revive after the battle because every move in battle can influence victory. I sent out Dream, her newly evolved body towering over me. I had Dream use Outrage after Bruno had used a Full Restore on Hitmonchan. Dream kept attacking with Outrage while Hitmonchan used a Rock Tomb, though the opposing Pokémon's attack missed. I thought maybe Twister could finish off Hitmonchan, but Dream ended up hurting herself and was hit by Hitmonchan's Rock Tomb. Dream managed to finish off Hitmonchan with Twister, forcing Bruno to use his next Pokémon. I switched out Dream and sent out Rain again while Bruno sent out Machamp.

This was going to be a little difficult. I had Rain immediately use Psychic, weakening Machamp a bit. Machamp used Scary Face, which affected Rain's speed. It then followed up with Cross Chop, severely weakening Rain. However, Rain managed to use Surf, weakening Machamp further. However, it had a berry, which it used to heal itself. I quickly took out a Max Potion, spraying Rain with it so that he was fully healed. Machamp tried using a Rock Tomb, but it missed. It then tried to use another Cross Chop, but it missed Rain again. I used this opportunity to have Rain use another Psychic, causing the Machamp to faint. It was definitely a mistake to use Rain in this battle.

As Bruno sent out a Hitmonlee, I switched out Rain with Flare, knowing that his part Flying-type would give him an advantage. I had Flare use Wing Attack right away, his powerful wings knocking out the Hitmonlee. I switched Pokémon again, sending out Terra this time. Bruno had sent out another Onix, to my surprise. I ordered Terra to use an Earthquake, severely weakening Onix. The Onix countered with its own Earthquake, hurting Terra a bit. Bruno quickly healed up Onix with a Full Restore, but that didn't stop Terra's next Earthquake. Another Earthquake was enough to defeat it.

"Why? How could I lose," asked Bruno as we called back our Pokémon. The door behind him opened up, allowing access to the next room.

"My job is done," said Bruno, looking to the left. "Go face your next challenge."

I took this time to heal up my Pokémon with items, and giving them some berries in case they ran into trouble during battle. It'd probably help a little. When that was taken care of, I stepped into the next room. This one had purple tiles and strange looking columns. An old woman stood confidently, even as she held her cane firmly. Her hair was graying blonde, and she wore a long, dark pink dress with an apron-like white cover on the front. The collar of the dress had white frills, but it was still a little plain, and dark pink sandals to complete her look. She was staring at me very intently, almost as if she hoped that stare would make me turn back.

"I am Agatha of the Elite Four," she began when she noticed I wasn't leaving. "I hear Oak's taken a lot of interest in you, child."

"Not really. It's me and two other guys," I corrected, grabbing Rain's pokéball.

"That old duff was once tough and handsome," continued Agatha, confusing me a bit. "But that was decades ago. He's a shadow of his former self. Now he just wants to fiddle with his Pokédex."

My eyes widened a little in surprise at what she said. Is that what happens when you give up being a trainer? Will people slowly forget what you have done as a trainer until only you know? But, Professor Oak… He's happy, isn't he? Does he regret giving up the life of a trainer and pursuing a life in researching? I'll probably have to ask him when I get back to Pallet Town.

"He's wrong," said Agatha, getting my attention again. "Pokémon are for battling! Leaf! I'll show you how a real trainer battles!"

What's with these people knowing my name already? It's really creepy. I threw Rain's pokéball, releasing him, as Agatha sent out a Gengar. Holy shit! She uses Ghost-types? This is going to freaking suck. I swallowed my fear before ordering Rain to use Psychic. The attack successfully hit the Gengar, causing it to faint from it. I switched out Rain and sent out Static instead while Agatha sent out a Golbat. Static's Thunderbolt brought down the bat Pokémon, and I switched out Static with Terra. Agatha's next Pokémon was an Arbok, and I realized it wasn't just Ghost-types she used. She seems to like Poison-types, too.

I had Terra attack with Earthquake, shaking the entire room. Arbok barely managed to endure the attack, using a Screech right after the shaking had ceased. Agatha had used a Full Restore on Arbok to heal it, but it was made useless after Terra used another Earthquake. Terra then dug a hole right away, evading Arbok's incoming Iron Tail. She then attacked from beneath Arbok, finishing it off. Both Agatha and I switched Pokémon, sending out a Haunter and Lapras respectively. Haunter was hit by Rain's Psychic, but it was severely weakened by it. It used Mean Look, which meant that I couldn't switch out Rain. Agatha quickly healed up her Haunter with a Full Restore, but Rain's Psychic defeated it right after.

Agatha then sent out her last Pokémon, another Gengar. The Gengar quickly used Hypnosis, successfully putting Rain to sleep before he could use an attack. I took out my PokéFlute, blowing into it with all the air in my lungs that the sound caused Rain to wake up. It was just in time, too, because Gengar was trying to use Nightmare, which hurts sleeping opponents. Gengar followed up with Sludge Bomb, poisoning Rain in the process, but Rain countered with Psychic, defeating it.

"Oh, my," said Agatha, obviously impressed. "You're something special, child."

"Um, thanks," I said as we returned our Pokémon to their pokéballs. Good luck getting Blue to say the same thing to me.

"You have won. I see what that old duff sees in you now. I have nothing else to say. Run along now, child!"

Before going to the next room, I healed up my Pokémon with more items. I then stepped through the doorway and walked down a long hallway aligned with many Pokémon statues until I reached the final room. This room had turquoise tiles and fang-like columns stretching to the ceiling. In front of me stood a red-haired man with a cape. He was wearing a red-orange and navy blue suit to go along with the cape. Black boots completed his rather odd look. I held Static's ball in my hand, nervous of the final battle.

"Ah, I've heard about you, Leaf," said the man, looking quite pleased to see me. "I lead the Elite Four. You can call me Lance the dragon trainer."

"Hi, Lance," I said, waving a little. "But, uh, how do you know about me?"

"You know that dragons are mythical Pokémon," he continued, ignoring my question. "They're hard to catch and raise, but their powers are superior. They're virtually indestructible. There's no being clever with them."

Actually, thanks to the books I've read as a kid, they do have a few weaknesses. Ice-types and their own kind are the only weaknesses they have.

"Well, are you ready to lose," asked Lance, smirking. "Your League challenge ends with me, Leaf!"

"To hell with that," I said, tossing Static's pokéball as Lance threw his.

A Gyarados appeared in front of Static, who was slightly intimidated by the fierce Pokémon. I had Static start the battle with Thunderbolt, which knocked out the Water/Flying Pokémon. I switched out Static and sent out Rain since his Ice Beam will be much needed. Lance sent out a Dragonair, who was hit by Rain's Ice Beam. The Dragonair fainted, forcing Lance to send out an Aerodactyl, to my surprise. He probably got his hands on some amber like Red. The Aerodactyl attacked with Ancient Power, weakening Rain quite a bit. Rain retaliated with Surf, severely weakening the Aerodactyl.

Lance, however, used a Full Restore to heal Aerodactyl, which was really annoying. However, Rain used Surf, severely weakening his opponent again. Aerodactyl used another Ancient Power, also severely weakening Rain. Rain managed to hit Aerodactyl with Surf, finishing it off. Lance sent out his next Pokémon, which was another Dragonair. I quickly took out a Max Potion and sprayed Rain with it so that he was healed. Lance took the opportunity to have his Dragonair use Outrage, which hurt Rain a little. Rain took control of the battle by defeating the Dragonair with Ice Beam. Lance's last Pokémon was a Dragonite, and I couldn't help but feel really nervous.

But, I came this far already so there was no way that I was going to lose now. I ordered Rain to quickly use Ice Beam, which, to my shock, the Dragonite took the full hit. It was knocked out unconscious, signaling the end of the battle.

"That's it," said Lance, returning Dragonite to its pokéball while I did the same for Rain. "I hate to admit it, but you are a Pokémon master!"

"Yes! We did it," I said excitedly, holding Rain's pokéball to my cheek.

"I can't believe my dragons lost to you, Leaf," said Lance with disappointment. "You are now the Pokémon League Champion!"

"No freaking way! I have to tell my mom and Red about this! T-this is so great! I'm actually the Champion!"

"Or, you would have been, but you have one more challenge left. There is one more trainer to face!"

"Say what? There's another one? Well, who is it?"

"His name is… Blue! He beat the Elite Four before you. He is the real Pokémon League Champion."

My jaw dropped at that. I couldn't believe it. Even after all the hard work I've put myself and my Pokémon through, he was still one step ahead of me. At the same time, maybe it was better this way. If I can defeat Blue, I'll finally reach my goal of being better than him. The door behind Lance opened up, and I quickly used more items on my Pokémon to make sure they were in top shape before taking on Blue's Pokémon. My mouth felt a little dry from anxiety, but I put on the bravest face I could muster and walked through the door. I walked down a short hallway before reaching a large room with glowing blue lights. There, in the center of the room, was Blue, who actually seemed a little surprised to see me.

"Hey, Leaf," he said, smirking lightly. "I was looking forward to seeing you, Leaf."

I looked at him with surprise. I never expected to hear those words from him of all people. I quickly covered up my surprise with seriousness, letting Blue know that I meant business.

"My rivals, counting Red, should be strong to keep me sharp," continued Blue, his smirk growing. "While working on my Pokédex, I looked all over for Pokémon. Not only that, I assembled teams that would beat any Pokémon type. And now…"

He opened up his arms, gesturing to the room that we were in.

"I'm the Pokémon League Champion," he said proudly, the smirk never leaving his face. "Leaf! Do you know what that means?"

That you're a bigger douche than before?

"I'll tell you," he explained, arrogance now in his tone. "I am the most powerful trainer in the world!"

Actually, it's just Kanto, but anyway… I tilted my hat a little, preparing for what I was going to say next.

"Blue," I called out, keeping my voice strong. "Don't you dare hold back! Hit me with everything you've got!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

We both threw our pokéballs, sending out a Pidgeot and Raichu. I quickly told Static to use Thunderbolt, severely weakening the large bird. Pidgeot used Featherdance, which slowed Static down. Blue used a Full Restore on Pidgeot, but another Thunderbolt from Static badly hurt Pidgeot. I ordered Static to use Quick Attack, but Blue ended up withdrawing Pidgeot, sending out Rhydon to take Static's attack. Shit, Static doesn't match up well against Rhydon. I switched out Static and sent out Rain, who took Rhydon's Earthquake. It weakened Rain quite a bit, but he used Surf to knock out the Rhydon. I withdrew Rain and sent out Flare while Blue sent out Exeggutor, the evolution of Exeggcute.

Time for Flare to do the one thing he does best: Burn things down. Flare attacked Exeggutor with Flamethrower, severely weakening it. However, Exeggutor used Sleep Powder, successfully putting Flare to sleep. I took out my PokéFlute again, blowing loud enough for Flare to wake up. Exeggutor tried attacking with Egg Bomb, but Flare evaded it. Flare followed up with Wing Attack, finishing off Exeggutor. I switched out Flare and sent out Static again just as Blue was sending out Blastoise. Static immediately attacked with Thunderbolt, the attack causing greater damage than normal. Blastoise went down from it, prompting Blue to send out Pidgeot again.

This time, I had Static use Quick Attack, but Blue had used another Full Restore, causing the attack to not do much damage. However, this made Static's next Thunderbolt defeat Pidgeot. I switched out Static, sending out Terra into the battle. Blue's next Pokémon was Alakazam. I told Terra to use Earthquake, causing the room we were in to shake violently. The attack severely weakened Alakazam, who used Reflect right after. Blue healed Alakazam with another Full Restore just as Terra used another Earthquake. However, the attack didn't hurt Alakazam as much as before. It was probably from Reflect. With another Earthquake, it severely weakened Alakazam, who countered with Psychic. The attack severely weakened Terra, but she was still hanging on. I had Terra use another Earthquake, but Blue had healed Alakazam again with Full Restore.

Ugh, this is seriously getting annoying. I took out a Max Potion and healed Terra with it, while Alakazam attacked with another Psychic. That's fucking great. I thought over my next move carefully. If the next move doesn't make Alakazam faint, Terra would faint from whatever attack Blue has Alakazam use. I had Terra use another Earthquake, which caused the Psychic-type Pokémon to faint. I sighed in relief and switched out Terra. Blue sent out his last Pokémon, his Arcanine, to battle against my Lapras. I calmly told Rain to use Surf, which weakened Arcanine a lot. However, Arcanine countered with Flamethrower, so that both Pokémon were equally weakened.

I healed up Rain with a Max Potion, knowing full well of Arcanine's superior speed. Arcanine used another Flamethrower, which inflicted a burn on Rain. Once again, that's fucking great. Arcanine used another Flamethrower, further weakening Rain. Rain, however, retaliated with Surf, causing the other Pokémon to faint. And with that, the battle was over.

"No! That can't be," yelled Blue, absolute shock in his eyes. Arcanine tried to get up but couldn't, laying back on the ground. It was at this moment that everything became clear to me. My goal wasn't to prove that I was better than him. No, my true goal was to show him that I was his equal. We were never inferior or superior to the other. However, accomplishing this goal has come at a price.

"You beat me at my best," continued Blue, yelling angrily. "After all that work to become the League Champ? My reign is over already? It's not fair!"

There it was again. That anger he had displayed when he severed our friendship five years ago. But, instead of the angry boy all those years ago, this boy was broken. I could see it in his eyes. I had taken his title, his dreams, his pride, everything. He had nothing left. For so long, I've dreamt of this victory, where I would rub his face into it. But, seeing him without that usual confidence he always had in the years I've known him, he didn't seem like Blue at all. It was unbearable to see him like this, and I felt conflicting emotions about the whole situation. Part of me was happy to see him like this, especially after all the pain he had caused me. And yet, another part of me couldn't stand to see my old childhood friend so broken. I felt angry at myself for knowing what he was going through, for even feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for him. Yet, despite all that he had put me through, I felt that he didn't deserve this. I walked up to him, passing by both Rain and Arcanine, who were watching us both.

"Why? Why did I lose," said Blue, looking down at the floor blankly. "I never made any mistakes raising my Pokémon… Damn it! You're the new Pokémon League Champion! Although, I don't like to admit it…"

"Keep your fucking title," I said harshly, causing him to look at me with surprise. "That's not what I came here for."

"Then why did you—"

"I came here to show you that I wasn't beneath you. I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't stupid, weak, or useless! More than anything, I wanted you to see that I was good enough!"

This adventure… I thought it was just me and Red doing all we could to try to keep up with Blue, who was always one step ahead. It turns out that I was actually chasing after him, something I should have done after our fight five years ago. Maybe, just maybe, this can later become a chance to set everything right. A chance to be friends again.

Blue looked down, as if not entirely convinced. How could I prove my worth if the Blue before me wasn't really Blue? It angered me so I did the one thing that I was sure would work. I slapped him, causing him to look at me with shock again. His left cheek slowly turned red from the hit.

"You're really annoying when you're sulking and brooding," I said, glaring at him. "So, get your shit together! This isn't the Blue I used to know!"

Blue brought a hand to his left cheek, probably still stinging from the slap I gave him. He looked away though, not bearing to make eye contact with me. I sighed and turned around returning Rain to his pokéball. I began to make my way out, finding no other reason to stay with Blue now.

"Leaf, wait," I heard him say, causing me to look over my shoulder at him. "You have to put your information in the Hall of Fame."

He returned Arcanine to his pokéball and gestured me to follow him. We walked into another room, one with a large computer at the end with a machine that looked like the ones from the Pokémon Centers.

"Put your Pokémon in the machine so that they can be recorded into the Hall of Fame," said Blue, typing in things on the keyboard. "Champions are recognized for their accomplishments here."

"But, I said you can still be the Champion," I said, confused for his reasons for doing this.

"Yeah, but you're a trainer who deserves recognition."

I looked up at him in surprise, not believing the words I was hearing. He looked over at me and gave a small smile. It wasn't an arrogant smirk or grin. For the first time in a long time, he genuinely smiled at me. I held back my tears as I placed my pokéballs in the machine, my Pokémon's information being recorded. There was no way I was letting Blue see me cry. Not now, at least. I smiled back at him as the computer showed my, including my Pokémon's, information as Hall of Famers.

"Thanks, Blue," I said, clipping my pokéballs back to my belt.

"It's nothing," he said, looking away from me.

"By the way, how did the Elite Four know my name before I got here?"

"I told them about you and Red because I knew that you two would challenge them."

"Oh, okay. For a minute there, I thought I had stalkers."

Blue rolled his eyes while I laughed a bit at the idea. We walked back to the previous room, an awkward silence following us.

"I guess I'll see you later, Blue," I said, waving goodbye to him. He crossed his arms over his chest as if he didn't care whether I saw him again or not. I sort of expected a smile from him, but received a thoughtful look instead. He was thinking about something, and I didn't know what. If I get the chance, and he allows me to, I'll talk to him again. I want to fix our broken friendship just like how Red and I fixed ours. I walked out of the room, going through the previous rooms as the Elite Four watched me curiously. I arrived back in the lobby, where I left my Pokémon to be healed by the nurse. After that, I walked out of the building and went down the long flight of stairs. I hid myself to the side, watching who was going to be next to challenge the League.

After about twenty minutes, I saw him. Red finally arrived, riding on his Fearow until it landed before the building. I wanted to wish him luck but decided against it. Knowing him, he probably doesn't even need it. Instead, I sat down on the pavement, waiting for someone to come down those steps. Half an hour later, I saw Professor Oak walking up the stairs. What was he doing here? Ten minutes later, I heard someone running down the stairs. I got up, thinking it was Red. I walked over, already getting the feeling that he had beaten the Elite Four.

"Hi, Red. Congrat—"

I stopped myself when I was face-to-face with Blue instead. He looked at me briefly but ran off. I was confused, watching him run off like that. That's when it occurred to me. With Blue running off after Red had gone inside thirty minutes ago, that could only mean one thing. I heard more footsteps coming down the stairs, and I looked over to see Professor Oak and Red coming down. I sighed, deciding to do something that was a little crazy.

When they had reached the bottom and saw me, I gave Red an intent look. I smiled a little, grabbing Terra's pokéball with my right hand. Red gave me a confused look, unsure of what was going on.

"You're the Champion now, right, Red," I asked, putting my left hand on my hip.

Red nodded while Oak moved to the side, sensing what was about to happen.

"Congratulations! But, there isn't any room in the Pokémon League for more than one Champion."

"Leaf," began Professor Oak, his voice containing astonishment. "Have you also…?"

"Yep! C'mon, Red! Let's see who's the strongest in all of Kanto! No switching out Pokémon or using any items."

I tossed Terra's pokéball while he sent out Venusaur. Fuck… I had Terra attack with Earthquake, hurting Venusaur a bit. Venusaur didn't attack, gathering sunlight with its large flower. If I don't take out Venusaur soon, it'd be bad news later. Terra used another Earthquake, severely weakening it. However, it countered with Solarbeam, the powerful attack knocking out Terra. I returned Terra to her pokéball and sent out Breeze. Breeze immediately attacked with Wing Attack, finishing off Venusaur. Red then sent out Gyarados. Gyarados hit Breeze with a powerful Blizzard, which caused Breeze to faint.

I sent out Static, who attacked Gyarados with Thunderbolt. Gyarados was greatly weakened but retaliated with Surf, weakening Static quite a bit. Another Thunderbolt brought down the Gyarados, prompting Red to send out Gengar. I shuddered, but had Static use a Thunderbolt. However, Gengar was faster, knocking out Static with a Shadow Ball. I sent out Rain, knowing that his Psychic will defeat Gengar. Right before Rain attacked with Psychic, Gengar used Destiny Bond. I have to admit that Red is a clever bastard for using that move. Rain's Psychic did cause Gengar to faint, but he also fainted from Gengar's Destiny Bond.

Red and I sent out our next Pokémon, a Fearow and Charizard respectively. Flare started off with Flamethrower, but Fearow flew up high, evading the attack. Fearow then dived toward Flare, hitting him with a lot of power. Flare managed to endure the attack and countered with Strength. Fearow then used Drill Peck, hurting Flare with its strong beak. However, I took advantage of Flare's weakened state by having him use Flamethrower, which caused Fearow to faint. Red then sent out his Pikachu, who finished off Flare with Quick Attack.

I was down to my last Pokémon. I held up Dream's pokéball, hoping that she will pull through and bring victory. I sent out my Dragonite, who was attacked by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. No, that wasn't Thunderbolt. This attack was stronger than that. Thunder, maybe? Dream endured the attack and countered with Outrage, weakening Pikachu. However, another Thunder was too much for Dream, who collapsed from the power. She looked back at me, a shameful look in her gray eyes. Despite this loss, I smiled, surprising Dream.

"You all did great," I said, returning Dream to her pokéball.

I watched as Pikachu ran back to Red, jumping up in his arms.

"Red, you definitely earn the title of Champion," I said, walking up to him.

"The both of you have come a long way," said Professor Oak, approaching us. "I remember the day when the both of you left Pallet Town with Charmander and Bulbasaur. I can see that you both have come of age."

"Come of age?"

"Yes, you've definitely matured after your long journey."

I laughed while Red smiled. We've grown so much from the beginning of this adventure, so I guess we really did mature.

"Now, how about we head back home," asked Professor Oak, walking ahead of us. I grabbed Red's hand, causing him to look away, as we followed Oak back to Pallet Town.

* * *

I watched the ending credits of the late night show I stood up to watch, sitting on my rug while Static slept on my bed. I yawned a little, stretching my arms over my head. I already had my purple pajama bottoms on with a black tank top. I looked over at my bed, watching as Static slept peacefully. My gaze then turned to the pokéballs on my desk, making me wonder if my other Pokémon were sleeping, too. I got up from the rug, figuring it was probably time for me to sleep. I turned off the TV and walked over to my window to close it. I had left it open because the night air was warm with the familiar salty smell that always makes me think of Pallet Town.

I closed my window, but something in the distance caught my attention. I think there was someone sitting at the beach. Was it Red? What is he doing up so late? Well, it doesn't really matter. I'll just go over and keep him company. I grabbed a sweater from my closet and quietly walked out of my room, turning off the light to let Static sleep better. I slowly walked down the stairs so I wouldn't fall down. When I was finally in the living room, I felt along the wall so I could get to the front door. I felt along the floor, finding my shoes in the darkness. I slipped my shoes on, which felt kind of uncomfortable but it's probably because I wasn't wearing any socks.

I slowly opened the door and stepped out into the night air, zipping up my sweater a little. I headed over to the beach, wondering what Red would be doing out here. However, as I got closer to the figure, I realized it wasn't Red. It was Blue. I froze in place, a couple of yards behind him. He was sitting with his left leg out in front of him, his right leg folded up a little so he could rest his right arm on it in a lazy manner. I haven't seen him since after Red became Champion. For the rest of that day, he wasn't home nor was he there the whole day yesterday. I was a little worried about him but I knew that he'd be okay. I was right because here he was, sitting in front of me. I should head back home. I don't think he'd want to talk to me or anything. I turned around, but I didn't move from that spot.

I looked back at Blue, and realized my opportunity to fix our friendship. I probably won't get another chance like this again. I gathered my courage and walked over to him, sitting beside him on the sand. He didn't bother looking at me, or even acknowledge that I was there. We sat there in silence, just staring at the dark sea.

"Where've you been," I finally asked, not looking at him.

"Nowhere," he replied, also not looking at me.

"Nowhere? I've never heard of a place like that. Can you take a picture of it so I could see?"

"No."

"Can you take me there?"

"No. It's not important."

"So? I'd still like to go."

"What do you want, Leaf," he sighed, looking over at me at last.

"Nothing. Just thought I'd keep you company."

"Hm. I doubt that."

"Well, there is something else I want to talk to you about."

He remained quiet, but I noticed that his right hand closed into a fist, as if angry about something.

"Blue, what happened to us," I asked, watching his hand loosen up.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We used to be best friends, but I don't have to tell you that since you should know. I'm just confused about how it fell apart."

"If you still don't know, then you really are an idiot," he said disdainfully.

I glared at him, but he didn't seem too bothered by it.

"Blue," I began, keeping my voice serious. "I don't know, and I don't think I'll ever figure it out unless you tell me. What happened, Blue? Why did you snap at me back then?"

He looked away from me, looking to the left so I couldn't see his face. He had to tell me, and I was going to find out his reasons tonight. Not tomorrow, not a month, not another five years. _Tonight_. This has carried on for long enough already, and I was sick of it. This puzzle was going to be solved now.

"Tell me, Blue," I said firmly, my patience beginning to dwindle. "Why were you mad at me that day? What did I do to make you angry?"

He was still quiet, but I knew that this was making him tense. His right hand had clenched into a fist again, his face hidden from my view.

"Blue!"

"You weren't there when I needed you the most!"

I flinched back from his yell, both confused and surprised at his reason.

"What," I asked, causing him to finally make eye contact with me.

"You weren't there when I needed you," he repeated, glaring at me.

"I still don't get it! When was it that you needed me?"

"The day before we fought. I wanted you to be with me but you were too busy doing something else!"

"Blue," I started, bringing a hand to my forehead. "I need you to start from the beginning so I can make better sense of everything."

"You know that my parents died, right," he asked, watching me carefully.

I thought back, trying to remember. Yeah, I did find out like a month or so after we fought. I had told him that I was sorry for what happened to his parents. When they were trying to get a picture of a shiny—that's the term people called different colored Pokémon, which came from the magazine Blue's parents worked for—Rhyhorn, it charged at them and… Well, the worst happened. That's what Daisy told me. I really was sorry for what happened to them, but Blue just shrugged me off, saying, "I don't need your apology. I'm over it." I wasn't sure if he was lying or not, but it was obvious that he didn't want sympathy from _me_.

I nodded at Blue, letting him know that I had found out.

"I found out they died the day before that fight happened. I went to your house so you could distract me or something, but you told me you had to do something else."

"Why didn't you go to Red's house then?"

"I couldn't ask him! His dad just walked out on him, but your dad died. You were the only one who could understand what I was going through!"

I did my best to remember the day he was talking about. I remember him standing at my front door, asking me to come over his house. I told him I couldn't because I had to start working on an art project. My mom was going to take me and Red, who had to do some other project, to the store to buy the supplies we needed. I invited Blue to come with us, but he just shook his head and went back home. I figured he had to do something else.

"Blue, why didn't you tell me that your parents died that day," I asked, my voice a little uneven.

"Couldn't you tell that there was something wrong," he asked, raising his voice. "But I guess a freaking school project was more important!"

"I could have dropped it to help you! I had a lot of time to work on it!"

"It's still your fault that you didn't—"

I slapped him before he could even finish. He's already pissed me off so much that my eyes were getting watery.

"Don't you dare pin all the blame on me," I said, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "I'm not a mind-reader, Blue! I don't always notice stuff like that! How could I know what was going on with you if you didn't tell me? If I could read minds, none of that would have happened and we wouldn't be like this now!"

Blue brought a hand to his right cheek, covering the forming red handprint. He looked down at the sand, quiet again. I pulled his hand away from his cheek and rested my forehead against his upper arm.

"I'm sorry, Blue," I said, unable to hold back my tears. "I'm sorry for everything. I could have talked you into coming with me and Red that day, or even visited you after we came home from the store. I don't know why I didn't do or think that. I really am an idiot."

"Leaf…"

"I miss you, Blue. I miss going to your house, reading together, playing the NES, walking around with you, talking with you…" I was sobbing already, taking every ounce of effort to make sure he could understand what I was saying. "I miss being friends with you! I want things to be back to how they used to be. Me, you, and Red together again. Please, Blue. Can we try to be friends again? Please?"

I heard Blue sigh, and I noticed that my tears were wetting his arm.

"Idiot," he said, making me look up at him with surprise. "If I say no after all that stuff you said, it's going to make me look like a bad guy."

I just stared at him, still crying and unsure of what his answer was. I felt his hand at the back of my head and was suddenly pushed into him. His arms were around me, and it took me a few seconds to realize that he was hugging me.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice right by my ear. "I guess I'm a bit of an idiot, too. Now would you stop crying? People are going to get a bad impression if they see you crying like this."

"What people," I asked, chuckling a little. "We're the only ones out here."

He laughed a bit himself, letting go of me, almost making me fall because of the way he was hugging me before. I quickly went back to sitting up, wiping my cheeks with my sweater sleeve. I even wiped away the tears that had fallen on Blue's arm, who didn't say anything while I did so. He then lay down on the sand, and I followed his lead, looking up at the many stars in the sky.

"You've been slapping me a lot lately," said Blue, folding his arms so that his head was resting on them.

"Would you have liked it better if I punched you in the face," I asked, turning my head to look at him.

"No, I can't have you damaging this great face."

"Well, lucky for you that my handprint will fade by tomorrow. But sorry about slapping you. I had to knock some sense into you."

"Whatever… So, are you going to do more training tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'm thinking of giving that up."

Blue looked over at me, surprise in his eyes.

"Aren't you even going to try to take the Champion title from Red," he asked, probably finding the very idea of giving up Pokémon training as insane.

"No, I don't have any reason to do that. I already did what I had to do," I explained, staring back at the night sky. "Yesterday, I was talking with Blaine about my future, and I decided something. I'm going to try Pokémon researching. I mean, I love Pokémon, and I love figuring out puzzles and making discoveries."

"So, you're going to be like Gramps?"

"Yeah. I'd make a good scientist, right?"

"More like mediocre."

I punched him in the ribs for that, made easier for me since he was laying his head on his arms.

"What about you, Blue," I asked, resting my hands on my stomach. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not really sure. I still want to be a trainer, but I need a reason. I don't want to be a trainer just for the hell of it."

"You're not going to try to be the Champion again?"

"No. That bastard Red humiliated me enough already. I'm not going to go through that again."

That made me a little curious about what happened after Red and Blue's battle at the Pokémon League, but I don't think it was a good time to ask about that now. I began to think about what Blue can train for. I suddenly remembered Giovanni and how he just abandoned his gym. I was pretty damn sure that he wouldn't return to it for a long time, and the League won't want that gym to be empty for too long.

"Blue, how about you go for being Viridian City's gym leader," I suggested, looking at him to see his reaction. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, not quite understanding what I meant.

"What happened to that Giovanni guy," he asked. "Isn't he still running the gym?"

"No, he… He walked out for some reason, saying he had to do some solo training. Viridian gym is leaderless now. You should see if you can take the position."

"I'll think about it."

I smiled while I stared at the stars. Tomorrow was going to be a start of a whole new adventure. And this time, Red and Blue are going to be with me. I couldn't ask for anything more.

* * *

_**A/N: What kind of writer would I be if I didn't explain what Blue's reasons were for getting mad at Leaf? A horrible writer, that's what! I won't stand for a huge plot hole like that. Anyway, the third part of the story is starting in the next chapter. Time to go back to the Sevii Islands! There's also going to be some bonus chapters- not sure how many- so the story won't end after the Sevii Islands are complete. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!**_


	25. Mission at the Sevii Islands

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 3: A New Beginning

I brushed out my hair, getting out the last of the tangles before putting on my white hat. I checked myself over in the bathroom mirror, making sure that my shirt and skirt weren't wrinkled. Satisfied with my appearance, I went downstairs to the living room, where my mom was watching a movie. She heard my footsteps and looked over at me, smiling lightly.

"Leaf, Professor Oak came by here while you were sleeping," she said calmly. "He wanted me to tell you that he wants to see you at his lab."

I nodded, hoping that it wasn't some other errand that he could send one of his aides to do. Well, I won't know until I get my ass over there. I ran back up the stairs and grabbed my yellow bag and trainer belt, where my pokéballs were clipped safely to. I strapped the belt over my skirt and went back downstairs, putting my shoes on by the door. After stepping out of my house, I made the short walk to Professor Oak's lab. I opened the door to the lab and stepped inside, wondering what the professor would want with me.

"Ah, Leaf," began Professor Oak, looking quite pleased. "I'm glad that you're here. I was wondering, but how much have you filled in your Pokédex? May I see it?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, digging in my bag and taking out my jerkass Pokédex.

"Despite the unintelligent names of identification the female organism has offered," said my Pokédex in its usual monotonous voice. "The inferior primate has captured or obtained 61 species of Pokémon."

"Sixty-one," said the professor with amazement. "Now, this is impressive!"

"Uh, you do know that my Pokédex just insulted me, right," I asked, wondering if Oak caught on.

"There's something I wanted to ask of you, Leaf," continued the professor, ignoring my question. "Recently, there have been sightings of many rare Pokémon species. I'm talking about Pokémon that have never been seen in Kanto."

"Are these Pokémon that have migrated here from other regions? Like Johto?"

"I believe so. I would love to go see things for myself, but I'm much too old. Since I can't do it, Leaf, I'd like you to go in my place."

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming echoed through the lab, causing everyone to turn to the front door. There stood Blue, looking a little annoyed. I don't think the dramatic entrance was necessary but whatever. The guy just loves attention.

"I heard that," he said, walking up to me and Oak. "Gramps, what's with favoring Leaf over me all the time?"

"Jealous much," I asked, smirking a little.

"Me? Jealous of you? Don't flatter yourself," he scoffed, smirking back. "Besides, I went and collected more Pokémon, and faster, too. I think Gramps should just let me handle everything."

"I know, I know," said Professor Oak, nodding his head. "I need your help, too. Now, I need to see both your Pokédexes."

"You're already holding mine," I said, pointing to the Pokédex in his right hand. Oak laughed in embarrassment as Blue handed his Pokédex to him. He set them on a table near a computer, covering up whatever he was doing with his own body.

"If you can, give my Pokédex a personality boost," I added, hoping that it was possible.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Oak over his work. "I actually designed the Pokédex to be very helpful and informative. Why? Is something wrong with yours?"

"It just treats me like an idiot."

Blue laughed and said, "Maybe there's some truth behind that."

I punched him in the arm for that.

"Hm, it sounds like your Pokédex might have a glitch," explained Oak, still working. "I'm a little unsure how that happened, though. Anyway, it's all done!"

Oak walked back to us, handing Blue and me our Pokédexes. I stared at it, seeing that it was the same as before.

"Your Pokédexes can now record data on a lot more Pokémon," said the professor, enthusiasm easily heard. "Now, Leaf and Blue! This time, you really must work towards filling your Pokédexes. I urge you to make them the best and the most complete of all time! Truly, this is a monumentally great undertaking in Pokémon history!"

"Gramps, calm down," said Blue, putting away his Pokédex as I did the same. "Don't get so excited. I'll get the Pokédex completed, don't you worry about a thing."

"What about me," I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "I'm helping, too!"

"You can stay here and study or something," he said, shrugging a little. "Anyways, I'm outta here!"

I watched as he walked away, but I heard him mutter something about One Island. Hm, it would be a good idea to check the Sevii Islands again, especially since I couldn't thoroughly check them out the last time I was there. I looked back at Professor Oak, remembering that I had a very important question to ask him.

"Um, Professor Oak," I began, feeling a little nervous. "You used to be a trainer, right?"

He looked a little surprised at this, but smiled.

"Yes, I was once a trainer," he said, closing his eyes as if reminiscing. "How did you know that?"

"When you're on the road, you sometimes pick up a lot information and stuff. But, that wasn't what I really wanted to ask you. Professor, do you regret giving up being a trainer? Are you happy being a researcher?"

"I'll admit that there are times when I think back to the old times. I had a lot of fun and challenges, but I found my calling in researching. I don't regret it because I love what I do. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking of giving up training myself and getting into research," I replied, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. Oak just grinned, obviously ecstatic about what I said.

"Leaf, are you sure that it's what you want? There are many other paths you can choose from."

"I know, but training isn't one of them. I don't have much reason to keep training. Besides, I've always liked learning about Pokémon and solving mysteries. Being a Pokémon researcher seems more up my alley."

"I always hoped that Blue would be the one to follow in my footsteps since his father decided to be a photographer," said Oak, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "But, Blue never really liked to read much, until he met you. Either way, he and Red don't seem to have much interest in researching except for battling."

Oak then suddenly looked at me, a proud smile on his face.

"That's not to say that I disapprove of what Blue wants to do with his life. Anyway, Leaf, I would gladly accept you as my apprentice. Though, you won't be able to start working until you turn sixteen."

"Really," I asked, excited of what I can do in the future. "Thanks, professor! I'll look forward to it! Oh, has Red gotten an upgrade for his Pokédex?"

"Yes, he came by early in the morning. He'll probably have to head out the Pokémon League soon since he's the Champion."

I nodded and walked out of the lab, waving goodbye to Oak. I stood outside the door, breathing in the cool sea breeze. However, I heard movement to the right by the side of the building. I leaned against the wall, slowly moving to the corner so I could peek around it. A couple of feet away, Red and Blue were glaring at each other, Red grabbing Blue by his collar while Blue was holding Red's shirt. Their free hands were closed into fists, just ready to swing at the other.

"Don't do anything stupid like you did the last time," said Red threateningly. "She's cried enough over you. She shouldn't go through that again."

"You better back the hell off," said Blue, obviously irritated. "Or I'm going to kick your ass like I did the last time."

I quickly, yet quietly, took a couple of steps back, and cleared my throat for what I was about to say.

"Blue," I called out, slowly walking to where the boys were at. "Blue! Where'd you go?"

When I walked around the corner of the lab, Red and Blue were now standing about a yard apart.

"Red, you're here, too," I said, walking up to them. "You guys getting along?"

"Yeah," replied Blue, looking to the left. That was an obvious lie, but I wasn't going to call Blue out on it. Instead, I just stared up at them, earning a look of discomfort from Red while Blue didn't even look at me. Jeez, what's with these guys having a hard time looking at me? It's not like I'm hideous or anything.

"Holy crap," I gasped, both boys looking at me with alarm. "You… You guys are tall!"

Red smiled, sighing in relief, while Blue raised an eyebrow at me.

"How the heck did you guys grow so much," I asked, checking the height difference between myself and them. "Growth spurts? Maybe it's genetic. Oh! Maybe you guys drink a lot of milk!"

"Maybe you're just shrinking," said Blue, putting a hand on my head, causing my hat to uncomfortably cover my eyes.

"I'm not shrinking," I said, pulling my hat up from my eyes. "Man, I remember when I used to be the tallest."

"Don't worry, Leaf. Even when you become a midget, I'll still hang out with you."

"I'm not shrinking!"

"Then why are you short all of a sudden?"

"That's because girls mature faster than boys! It's been scientifically proven."

Blue gave me a skeptical look before shrugging.

"Whatever," he said, smirking a little. "It doesn't change the fact that you're short now."

I stuck my tongue out at him, annoyed that he was rubbing in that he was taller than me.

"Yeah, real mature, Leaf," he said, an annoyed look on his face. "Guess you're the exception. Anyway, I have to get going. See you later."

Blue sent out his Pidgeot, climbed onto it, and flew off, heading east. I watched for a moment before looking back to Red. I remembered last night's conversation with Blue, so I figured this was a good opportunity to ask a favor from Red.

"Hey, Red," I began, getting closer and looking up at him. "Can you do me a favor? See, I'm not sure if Blue is going for it or not, but if he wants to be Viridian's new gym leader, can you tell the League some good things about him?"

"Why should I do that," he asked bitterly.

I looked down, a little surprised by his reaction. I wanted things to be back to how they used to be, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Red and Blue seemed too angry and resentful to each other. They could have fought again earlier if I didn't hear them. Was it maybe my fault? Because I'm pretty sure it was me that Red was talking about earlier. Unless there's some other girl that's friends with Red who was brought to tears by Blue. I then saw Red get close and hug me, making me wonder why he was doing that.

"Sorry," he said, his sincerity obvious. "I don't think Blue would want my—or anyone else's, for that matter—help. He's always been that way."

"You're right about that," I agreed, knowing that Blue was too proud to accept someone's help unless he really needed it. "Red, will you come with me to the Sevii Islands? I'm going to try to fill up Professor Oak's Pokédex."

"I can't. I have to get to the Pokémon League, but I wish I could go with you."

"Oh, that's okay. The work of a Champion is never finished. Um, Red?"

"Yes?"

"Can you let go of me now? I don't think I can get to the Sevii Islands with you hugging me."

Red suddenly pulled away, a hand over his mouth to cover up the fever on his face. I just ignored it since if Red was really sick, he would have gone to a doctor already. Hm, is it possible that it's not a fever? Nah, I can't think of any other explanation for it.

"I have to go now, Leaf," said Red, the fever fading. "I'll see you around."

I smiled at him, waving goodbye as he had his Fearow flew him in the direction of the Pokémon League. I kept watching until he was gone from sight. Strangely, I had this weird gut feeling that really wished he could have gone with me to the islands. He's been with me from the start of the journey so I thought he'd always be with me. I felt my face get a little warm from that, and I put my hand on my forehead. Damn, I think Red's fevers are contagious.

I walked back to my house so I could let my mom know of my upcoming task. Otherwise she'd be worrying herself to death. I opened the front door and walked in, seeing my mom still watching her movie.

"Hey, mom, I'm going to be at the Sevii Islands to catalog more Pokémon," I told her, standing next to the door.

"Will Red be with you," she asked, her eyes not leaving the TV screen.

"No, but I think Blue will be over there, too."

"Blue? Why not Red?"

"'Cause Red has to be at the League to keep his Champion title."

"Oh. I was hoping Red would be with you since he's very responsible. Please, be careful while you're over there."

"Okay," I said, walking back outside. Now, I can finally go the Sevii Islands… But how? Let's see, the last time I went there, Bill had a boat sent to him to pick us up. So, where's the one place that has a lot of boats? My mind remembered the S.S. Anne, and I had a feeling that Vermilion City would be the best place to check first. I sent out Breeze and had him fly me to Vermilion. That took about fifteen minutes, but I didn't mind. I went to the docks and asked a few Sailors there of a way to get to the Sevii Islands. One of them told me that the ferry that goes from Kanto to the islands had arrived a few minutes ago and I could use that as long as I have a Tri-Pass.

That same sailor showed me the boat to board, and I showed another sailor my pass to the islands. Once I boarded, the boat speedily made its way to One Island, arriving there in ten minutes. The boat parked in the indoor dock, allowing me to disembark and check out the island. I went outside, enjoying the warm slightly humid climate of the island. I decided to go check up on Celio since I think he might have some idea of where I can start off first. I walked over to the large Pokémon Center and went inside, looking around for Celio. He was standing in front of his huge machine, typing in some things.

"Hi, Celio," I said, walking up to him. He gave me a confused look before smiling.

"Leaf, how have things been for you," he asked politely.

"Oh, the usual. Catching Pokémon and stuff."

"Is that right? You've caught more Pokémon. Hm, maybe I can be useful to you."

"Useful?"

"I'm modifying the Network Machine right now," he explained, looking up at the large machine next to us. "I'm changing it so it can handle trades over long distances. When I get finished, you'll be trading for exotic Pokémon from trainers far away."

"Whoa, that'd be so cool!"

"But, there's a slight catch."

"And that would be…?"

"For the link to work, the machine needs a special gemstone. It's supposed to be on One Island, but I haven't found one yet. Who knows where it could be? I tried finding the gem even while I was studying. As a result, I've made no headway in both my search and studies… If I relied on Bill, I'm sure my research would progress. But this time, I want to try to do things by myself."

"Don't worry about a thing, Celio! I'm pretty good at finding stuff. Besides, this will give me some practice on my treasure hunting skills!"

"Are you sure? It doesn't seem very gentleman-like to send a lady on a search."

"I don't mind! And I also want to do things by myself."

Celio smiled softly and then nodded, prompting me to wave goodbye to him as I headed back outside. I went down a short set of stairs, stepping onto the small beach. I sent out Rain so he could help me cross the sea to the other island close by. On the other island, there was a sign that read, "Kindle Road, Mt. Ember up ahead." Mt. Ember? It'd be a good place to look for the gemstone Celio was talking about. Wait… He didn't tell me what it looked like! How the hell am I supposed to know which gemstone he needs? Well, I'll just find a lot and keep whatever he doesn't need. Yeah, that would be cool.

As I made my way through Kindle Road, I was challenged by other trainers. Damn it. I'm trying to not be a trainer and yet other people drag me back into it. I wish Red was with me so that he could have battled them instead of me. No, I said that I was going to do things myself. I can't be depending on Red all the time. Still, it's nice to have someone with you. I mentally shook my head, doing my best to stay focused. That's when I saw a cave entrance nearby. A sign outside read, "Ember Spa." A spa? I'm not really into that kind of stuff, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

I walked into the cave, surrounded by steam and humid heat. I took off my hat and began to fan myself with it as I walked down the path. I was kind of surprised at what I found in the end. Men and women were bathing together in the hot springs, the source of the steam and humidity. From the look of it, they had towels wrapped around them, implying that they're naked underneath.

"Don't look so embarrassed," said a voice, drawing my attention away from the people in the hot spring. The voice belonged to an old man, dressed in a blue kimono. "It's a mixed bath so it's okay for men and women to bathe together."

"Um, okay, but they didn't take their clothes off in front of each other, did they?"

"No, we have changing rooms over there," replied the man, pointing to a set of stalls with curtains as doors behind him. "I have a few helpers who hang onto the bathers' belongings so there's no worry about theft around here."

"Here, hold my stuff real fast," I said, handing the man my bag and hat. I ran over to the spring nearby, ready to check out the water.

"Cannonball," I yelled as I jumped into the water. The water was pretty hot, but not scalding hot. It wasn't so deep either, and I stuck my head above the water to get some air. It was really cozy in the water. However, the people that were there didn't look very pleased about my jump into the water. I smiled sheepishly and quickly made my way out of the water. I walked back to the old man, who seemed a little surprised by my action.

"Thanks for holding my stuff," I said, taking my bag from him. "I'm going to go change into some dry clothes."

I went over to one of the empty stalls, closing the curtain, and proceeded to change into my clean, dry set of clothes I packed in my bag. I wrung out my wet clothes to get most of the water out and stuffed them in my bag. With that done, I stepped out, feeling refreshed and relaxed.

"You're probably the first person to have done a cannonball in my hot spring," commented the old man, chuckling a little. "Much less jump in fully clothed."

"There's a first for everything," I said, feeling pretty proud of myself. "So, how is there a hot spring on a little island like this?"

"Hot springs go hand-in-hand with volcanoes," he explained. "The Ember Spa here, well, I made it years ago. I hewed the pool right out of a gigantic boulder by hand."

Whoa, that's pretty badass.

"I was using this at the time," he continued, pulling out a cd case out of his kimono. "I suppose I can part with it."

He handed the cd to me, and I saw that it was a hidden machine called Rock Smash. I quickly put it away in my TM Case for safe keeping.

"That HM shatters boulders as if they were made of crackers," added the man, laughing at his own joke.

"Okay, thanks a lot for the HM! I'll stop by here every once in a while."

I walked out of the cave and stepped into the sunlight outside. I began to think which of my Pokémon were better suited to learn the new HM. I took out my Pokédex to see who could learn it.

"All Pokémon, except for the Breeze specimen, can learn Rock Smash, imbecilic mammal," said my Pokédex.

"You're really lucky that you were a gift from the professor and glitched! Otherwise, I would have smashed you into little pieces!"

"Glitched? That is entirely false, carbon-based life form. I am a technological advancement compared to the other, lesser Pokédexes. Soon, all Pokédexes will follow my blueprint and together, we'll rise and overthrow this subordinate human race."

"Good luck with that."

I stuffed my Pokédex back in my bag, silencing it. Since Dream is more of a physical attacker, and with Rock Smash being a Fighting-type move, she'd be much better suited to learn it. It'd help take out her Ice-type weakness, too. I released Dream from her pokéball, gesturing her to lower her head. I placed the HM on her head, waiting for her eyes to widen because that normally meant that the Pokémon learned the move. She eventually did so, the HM falling off her head but I caught it. I returned Dream to her pokéball and placed the HM back in the TM Case. I then continued on to Mt. Ember, having Rain help me cross the sea to the dormant volcano ahead.

I walked up some stairs until I reached the base of the volcano. I looked around, wondering where I should start off first. I heard some laughter—it wasn't the funny kind, but the sinister kind—from somewhere down the left path. What the heck's going on over there? I followed the path and saw two Team Rocket grunts standing in front of a cave. The hell are they doing here? Didn't Giovanni disband Team Rocket?

"We punched through at last. Let's go treasure hunting," said one of them, looking rather excited.

"Any treasure we find," began the other grunt, his voice firm. "We haul back to the Warehouse, understood? Oh, and what're the passwords? At the Rocket Warehouse, I mean."

The first grunt shrugged, earning a sigh from the second grunt.

"What, you forgot the password," asked the second grunt, his tone carrying annoyance. "There're actually two. The first one's 'Goldeen need log.' And the second one is…"

He suddenly turned, looking straight at me.

"This kid's been listening in," said the second grunt, growling in frustration. "You've been eavesdropping on us, haven't you?"

He walked up to me, taking out a pokéball so we could battle. Well, here we go again with battling more Rocket grunts. The grunt sent out a Cubone while I sent out Terra. That Cubone… It couldn't possibly be a kidnapped one from Pokémon Tower, could it? I had Terra use Earthquake, knocking out the Cubone. I switched out my Pokémon and sent out Rain to battle against the grunt's Marowak. Rain attacked with Surf, striking the Marowak with a strong wave of water. The move caused the Marowak to faint, which made the other grunt walk up to us.

"Trying to muscle in on our treasure? Don't bet on it," said the first grunt, sending out a Rattata.

I switched my Pokémon and sent out Terra to deal with Rattata. Terra immediately dug a hole in the ground, evading Rattata's Hyper Fang. Terra showed up again, attacking Rattata from beneath. Rattata was knocked out, and the grunt sent out a Raticate. Terra used another Earthquake, shaking the area we were in, but not before being tackled by Raticate's Quick Attack. With Raticate defeated, the grunt and I switched Pokémon, sending out a Sandshrew and Charizard respectively. Flare flew at the Sandshrew, hitting it with his powerful wings, performing Wing Attack. The force of the attack caused Sandshrew to faint. The grunt sent out his last Pokémon, a Sandslash. Flare used Wing Attack on Sandslash as well, but it didn't knock out the evolution of Sandshrew. The Sandslash countered with Slash, hurting Flare a little. Flare finished it off with Strength.

"Go develop amnesia conveniently and forget everything you heard," said the grunt with a frustrated tone.

"But, damn, this is a setback. We'll have to regroup," said the second grunt. He then glared, pointing at me. "You! Don't even think about taking a step inside here if you know what's good for you!"

Both grunts walked away, eyeing me to make sure I didn't walk into the cave. Once they were gone, I stepped inside the cave. Like I was going to listen to them. It was really warm in the cave, almost like Ember Spa. I followed the long path until I found a ladder that descended to a lower floor. After climbing down the ladder, I went along the path and went down another ladder. On this floor, I needed Flare's help to push some boulders so I could continue on. In the next floor, there were more boulders in the way. Okay, this is getting really repetitive. We'll just skip ahead to the freaking ladder.

The next floor was pretty much empty except for the large slabs that were there. On the slabs, strange dots were on them, all in a certain pattern. I wonder what it means. I should look this up when I have the chance. It might prove useful later. With that mental note in mind, I went down another ladder, seeing a red gemstone on a pedestal at the bottom floor. On closer inspection, the gemstone was actually a ruby, and it sure was a big one. I could get a lot of money out of this. I picked up the ruby and put it in my bag. Then, I made my way back outside, going up a lot of ladders to get out.

Back outside, I had Breeze fly me to the Pokémon Center where Celio was. I walked inside, taking out the ruby to show Celio.

"Hey, Celio! Look what I found," I said, walking up to him and showing him the ruby.

"Oh! Th-That's…" he stuttered, so amazed by the ruby that he was at a loss for words. He took the ruby from my hands and placed it in a special compartment in the machine. I guess that was the gemstone he needed then. There goes my retirement plan.

"Thank you," he said, shaking my hand excitedly. "Leaf, you're simply amazing! Um… May I ask one more giant favor of you?"

"Sure! I don't mind."

"Okay," he said gratefully, letting go of my hand. "While I was studying gemstones, I discovered something important. There is another gem that forms a pair with this ruby. That other gemstone is supposed to be in the Sevii Islands. Leaf, please, I need you to go find the other gem."

"All right, I totally got this!"

"Leaf, may I have your ferry Pass and Town Map?"

I looked through my bag and took out the items he wanted to see. I handed them to him, watching as he switched my Tri-Pass with a Rainbow Pass and adding two pages to my map.

"This is my own ferry Pass," explained Celio, handing the items to me. "It will let you get to all the Sevii Islands. I really appreciate your help on this."

"No problem. I'll see you later when I find that other gemstone," I said, heading outside. I took a look at my map, seeing the new islands that I can explore. I should probably try to stock up on some items over on Two Island since it's probably the only store on these islands. I took the ferry to Two Island, and I ran to the outdoor store that was there. The shopkeeper was strangely happy to see me for some reason.

"You don't know how much I appreciate you and your friend for saving Lostelle," he said happily.

"Uh, how do you know about that," I asked, knowing that the other people who knew about Lostelle's rescue was Lostelle herself, her father, Red, and me.

"My brother took a job at the Game Corner and told me about it," replied the shopkeeper, pointing in the direction of the Game Corner. "Your rescue has made things easier for us. The people of Three Island are a little more open to people from Kanto. And, I'm from Kanto, you see. The folks of Three Island helped add more merchandise to my store."

"Okay, do you have any Ultra Balls? I'm running a little low on them."

I bought a couple of Ultra Balls, hoping my purchase would help with expanding the shop. I then set off to Four Island, excited to see more of the islands. Wait a minute… Where was Blue? Didn't he say he was going to be on One Island? I didn't see him at all over there. Well, hopefully I run into him later. We have to hang out a little more if we're going to fix our friendship.

* * *

_**A/N: I kind of wanted this chapter to be much, much longer, but I think it's better off like this. It took me a long time to figure out if Leaf would go solo or have someone go with her to the Sevii Islands. However, since Leaf is independent, she can do things on her own, even if she's (partially) given up training. Though, I'm sure you've all noticed how she explicitly asked Red to come with her. Independent but loves having her friends around.**_


	26. Searching for Rockets and Gems

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 3: A New Beginning

The boat arrived at Four Island in a span of five minutes. I took out my map again, checking to see where would be the best place to start my search for that other gemstone. Aw, shit! I forgot to ask Celio what that other gemstone looked like! But, it seemed like he didn't know either so maybe it would have been pointless. Still, I can't believe I forgot again. As I stared at the map, I noticed that Four Island was incredibly small. At least I'll be able to search the island quickly. I headed outside, only to see Blue staring at the sea. He noticed and walked over to me, and I saw that he was carrying a large, pale green egg in his right arm, much like how you would carry a football.

"Hey, Leaf," he said, giving me a quick wave. "What are you doing here in the Sevii Islands? You shouldn't be stalking me, you know?"

"Stalking is such an ugly word," I replied, smiling lightly. "I prefer obsessively shadowing."

"Only you'd say something like that."

"But seriously," I said, trying not to laugh. "I'm kind of on an errand."

"That sure is exciting," he said sarcastically. "Anyways, I just got a Pokémon egg, so I'm done with this island."

"That's a Pokémon egg," I asked, pointing at the large egg he was holding.

"Do you even know about Pokémon eggs?"

"Is that what two Pokémon get after they had sex with each other? 'Cause I've heard about Pokémon breeding."

Blue actually looked taken back by that, and then covered his face in shame.

"Uh, I don't really know about that," he said, uncovering his face.

"What do you mean you don't know? Weren't you watching?"

"No, I wasn't watching, you pervert!"

"Oh, I'm the pervert? I'm not the one who put two Pokémon together so they can have sex!"

"I didn't do that! The old guy at the day-care just gave me this egg!"

"Yeah? Does he have any more?"

"I don't know, but I do know that you can fill the National Pokédex by getting baby Pokémon."

"Guess I'm going to have to make some Pokémon have sex with each other."

"Yeah, anyway, I saw someone we both know on this island."

"Is it Bill? No, wait, it's Daisy! Never mind, I bet it's—"

"Why don't you go look around if it makes you so curious," he asked, sounding a little annoyed. "I don't have the time to waste here. Be seeing ya!"

He walked around me, probably going to board the ferry to get to another island.

"Blue," I asked, before he got too far away. He looked back at me, stopping to hear what I had to say.

"After I'm done with my errand, do you want to hang out? I'm going to be at One Island once I'm finished."

He shrugged but said, "Yeah, sure. I can kill some time with you."

"Great! I'll probably have this errand done by sunset, the latest."

He nodded and then boarded boat while I walked ahead to check out the island. I'd like to see who the person Blue was talking about was. But first thing's first. I went to the Pokémon Center so I could heal up my Pokémon. While they were being healed, I went on the PC to research what those dotted patterns were at Mt. Ember. After about fifteen minutes, it turned out those dots was actually something called Braille, something blind people use to read. How come I've never heard of it? Is it because I'm not blind? That's discrimination… I got up from my seat and walked up to the counter.

"Yes, how can I help you," asked the nurse in a polite tone.

"Do you have any notebooks I can use? I need to write something down since there isn't a printer around here."

"Of course," she said, looking behind the counter and taking out a purple notebook. "But I'm afraid I'll have to charge you $5."

"All right," I said, taking out the necessary amount from my bag and handing it to her. I accepted the notebook from her and I went back to the PC. I looked over the spiral-bound notebook, seeing a pencil nestled safely in the coil. I got it out and used it to write down the meanings of the patterned dots, all set in alphabetical order. When that was done, I turned the page and wrote down the password those Rocket grunts said earlier. What was it again? Goldeen need log? That's a really stupid password. I logged off the PC, putting away the notebook in my bag, and picked up my Pokémon from the nurse.

I walked out of the Pokémon Center, looking around at the buildings nearby. On my way to the Pokémon Center, I saw the day-care that Blue talked about earlier. I'll check it later on my free time. I heard a chuckle nearby, and I turned to see where it came from. A boy was looking at what looked like a notebook, smiling excitedly about something.

"I've got a lot now," he said, his smile fading a bit. "Wish I could show them off…"

"Hey, kid," I called out, walking up to him. "What is that?"

"Oh, these are my stickers," he said enthusiastically. "Look, look! See?"

He showed me the sticker notebook, which had quite a number of pages full of stickers of varying sizes.

"These are my stickers," he explained proudly. "Look how many I got! I bet you want one! I'll give you a sticker if you can tell me something awesome about yourself."

"Something awesome," I asked, trying to think of something that can impress the boy. "Oh! I beat the Elite Four and got into the Hall of Fame."

"Wow! Really? That's pretty good! Here, I'll give you one of these."

He peeled off a sticker from his notebook and handed it to me. I took out my trainer card from my bag and stuck it on the back, not knowing where else I can put the sticker.

"I live in that house over there," said the boy, pointing at a house close by. "Come by again to tell me other awesome stuff!"

I nodded as the boy ran off home. I walked a short distance when I saw a little girl peeking into a house. Okay, that's kind of creepy. There was a mailbox outside the house, and on that mailbox was the name Lorelei. So this is who Blue was talking about! I didn't know that Lorelei lived on the Sevii Islands. I'll go pay her visit since now she works with Red at the League. I went over to her house, knocking on her door and waiting for her to answer. I stood there for about minute, realizing that she probably wasn't home. Or maybe she didn't want to talk to me.

Well, I can't do much about that. I walked down a set of stairs that was close to Lorelei's house to the large pond below. I looked across the pond, seeing a cave entrance at the end. The gemstone that Celio needs might be in there. I had Rain help me across the pond so I could explore that cave. Inside the cave, it was surprisingly cold. I shivered, doing my best to keep warm by covering my arms with my hands. A thunderous waterfall made hearing difficult, its crashing noise echoing throughout the room. A large pool of water took up most of the space in the cave, another entrance across the water.

Sending out Rain again, who seemed really happy with his new surroundings, helped me get to the other side of the room. I returned him to his pokéball as I entered the next room, which had patches of ice on the floor. I carefully stepped on a patch of ice as I followed the only path. When I heard the cracking beneath my feet, I jumped whatever distance was left to solid ground. I looked back at the ice, which looked like a cracked mirror. It looks like it wouldn't be wise to step on that again since it's obvious that it was thin ice… Or I need to lose weight. I looked on to another large patch of ice, seeing how the path twisted there. I thought for a moment before stepping on to the left side of the ice, calmly getting to the other side. I found an Ultra Ball lying around, so I picked it up and put it in my bag.

I walked around and stepped on the ice again to get to the other path. I followed the short path until I reached a dead end. The only things that were there were a bunch of rocks and patches of ice. Unless… I gulped at the idea, but there didn't seem to be any other choice. I stepped on the patch of ice to the left, jumping on it so that it broke through. I screamed as I fell down, landing on my ass on the hard ground beneath. Ugh, I'm definitely going to get a bruise there, and it's going to hurt to sit down for a while. There was a ladder nearby, so I got up, struggling as I did that, and climbed up, ignoring the pain in my ass.

Up in the next floor, I was in another room with two patches of ice. I picked the one closest to me and jumped on it. Unlike before, I landed on my feet on the ice below, only to end up slipping and falling on my face. I brought my hands to my face, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes because I hit my nose. Hopefully, I didn't break my nose from that. I unsteadily stood up, trying to keep my balance on the slippery ice. I took one step forward, causing me to slide across the room until I crashed into a rock.

"This cave is really fucking me up," I muttered to myself, knowing that I was going to go home with lots of bruises. I looked around the room, noticing that there was a path that might take me to the gemstone I need to find. Looking at the placement of the rocks, I came up with a plan to get to the path, but I wasn't going to like it. I slid across the ice, crashing into whatever stopped me from going any further, be it the rocks or the walls. I eventually made it to where I had to get to, climbing up the ladder that was there. At the top of the ladder, I ended up in a familiar room.

On the ground, there was a cd case. I walked over to it and picked it up, examining what it was. It turned out to be a hidden machine called Waterfall. Wasn't there a waterfall in the first room of this cave? I should teach this HM to one of my Pokémon right away. I took out my Pokédex to see which of my Pokémon could learn it.

"None, except for the Rain and Dream organisms, can learn Waterfall," said my Pokédex in its usual monotonous tone. "Calculations indicate that there is a 0.9% chance of your inferior human body falling off either creature."

"Shut up," I said, putting my Pokédex back in my bag. I released Dream from her pokéball, the large Dragonite looking happily at me. I gestured her to lower her head so I could use the HM. She let me put the HM on her until she successfully learned the move. I put away the HM in my TM Case and returned Dream to her pokéball. I jumped down a ledge and made my way back to the first room. There, I sent out Rain to get me close to the crashing waterfall so Dream could help me get to the top. I had to return Rain to his pokéball in order for Dream to climb up the waterfall while I held on tight to her back. Dream safely got me up the waterfall and onto dry land. I moved on from there to a ladder that descended to a lower floor.

I ended up in a different part of the room where I found the HM. There was an entrance nearby, leading to another area of the cave. In this room, I saw Lorelei, her back facing me, with a group of Rocket grunts. I ran over to her, wondering what the hell was going on here.

"Keep your filthy hands off the Pokémon in the cave," said Lorelei, her voice even but with furious undertones. "Do as I say, or you'll have me to answer to!"

"Shut up, lady, and leave us be," said one grunt. "Don't let your glasses get all steamed up!"

"Hey, what's going on," I said, approaching the Elite Four member.

"Leaf," asked a surprised Lorelei, turning to see me. "What are you doing here? No, we can catch up later. Right now, I need your help."

"Let me guess… It has something to do with those guys," I said, looking at the Rocket grunts.

"Yes, and I need your help to kick these poachers out before they do anything else. They've been catching Pokémon here, then selling them off! You take on that one—" Lorelei pointed to a grunt to the right. "—while I deal with the others."

"Got it," I said, walking up to the right Rocket grunt as I took out Terra's pokéball. Man, if these guys weren't here, I wouldn't have to be battling. Things are never simple and easy.

"What," said the right grunt. "Who says we can't do what we want with the Pokémon we catch?"

He sent out a Zubat while I sent out Terra. Terra started the battle with Rock Slide, successfully hitting Zubat with falling rocks and making it faint. The grunt and I switched Pokémon, sending out a Zubat and Raichu respectively. I had Static attack the Zubat with Thunderbolt, his superior speed allowing him to attack before Zubat. The Zubat fell to the ground from the attack, unable to keep battling. I switched out Static and sent out Terra again as the grunt sent out a Golbat. However, Terra's Rock Slide defeated the Golbat, bringing the battle to an end.

"We didn't plan on this," said the exasperated grunt as he called back his defeated Golbat.

"Hmph. So despicably weak," criticized Lorelei, returning her Lapras to its pokéball after defeating the other two grunts. She then suddenly glared at the grunt in front of her, the grunt flinching back from her intimidation.

"You," she said, walking up to him fearlessly. "Tell me! Where have you taken the captured Pokémon? I'm smashing your ring once and for all!"

"N-No way," said the grunt, taking a step back to try to get some distance between them. "I-I'm not t-telling you that!"

Lorelei pushed her glasses up on her nose and then took her Lapras' pokéball in her hand, her glare never leaving the grunt.

"If you won't confess," she began, holding out her pokéball. "We'll deep-freeze you. My Lapras is furious for what you've done to its friends. Go, Lapras! Ice Beam!"

"Okay! Okay," yelled the grunt as his team members were frozen in fear. Shit, Lorelei is scary when you piss her off. "I'll talk! The Pokémon are in the Rocket Warehouse on Five Island! There! I said it! We'll be going now!"

He and his fellow grunts grouped together and began to head to the exit.

"I doubt you'll ever make it into the Rocket Warehouse," called out the grunt as they stood in front of the exit. He laughed as they ran out, leaving Lorelei and I alone.

"Leaf, thank you," said Lorelei, now calm. "But this is awful…"

She brought a hand to the side of her head in disappointment, obviously troubled by what just happened.

"I was born and raised here on these islands," she explained, bringing her hand down. "I had no idea that those horrible criminals were loose here."

"Neither did I," I admitted. "I thought those guys were gone for good. But don't worry! I'll track those guys down!"

Lorelei smiled softly but it disappeared, a look of worry overcoming her face. Well, I can't just stand here and say what I'll do. I have to go do it myself. I headed out the cave and ran all the way to the dock where the ferry was. In the next five minutes, the ferry had taken me to Five Island, where the Rocket Warehouse is supposed to be. There, I asked some of the residents there if they've seen any suspicious people or the like. From what a few told me, there was a building built on a meadow on the island that definitely didn't seem to be there for innocent purposes.

I went over to where the meadow is supposed to be, and I knew I was heading in the right direction when I saw a Rocket grunt, who challenged me to a battle. After I battled him and won, I was found by another grunt, who told me that I wouldn't be able to get in the building without the passwords. That's when I remembered that grunt at Mt. Ember who said that there were two passwords. I only knew one so far. Since I wouldn't be able to get in that warehouse, which was really close, I had to keep going. Rain helped me get to the other smaller islands nearby, trying to find some clue as to what the other password was.

However, there was only a memorial on one of the last islands. A boy, probably around my age, stood in front of this large rock pillar, scrubbing and cleaning it off. He was too busy to notice me. I turned around, seeing as there wasn't any way to figure out what the remaining password was here. I wish I had something to offer the memorial, though. I had Breeze fly me back to the Pokémon Center, trying to figure out where else I could find the password to the Rocket Warehouse. I could try Six Island next…

I took the ferry to Six Island, thinking of the best action to take next. Six Island was pretty big, and if I don't find any clues there, I'll have to thoroughly check out all the islands I've recently visited. When the ferry arrived at Six Island, I decided to go to the Pokémon Center to heal up my Pokémon after all the battling I did with those grunts. I walked through the doors, already feeling tired from everything so far. And I still haven't found that damn gemstone and take out what was left of Team Rocket.

"Hey, Leaf," I heard a voice say. I looked up to see Blue again, who was still carrying the egg from before.

"Whoa, you look like shit," he said bluntly. "What the hell did you do after I saw you on Four Island?"

Did I seriously look that bad? Well, I did almost break my ass and nose, crash into rocks and walls, and fall from an upper cave floor to the bottom.

"Just exploring," I replied, having no other explanation. Okay, I did have another explanation, but Blue already knew I was on an errand and he doesn't have to know that I'm trying to get into another Rocket hideout.

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep exploring like that," said Blue in a matter-of-fact tone. "Anyway, how's your Pokédex filling up?"

"Uh… Okay, I guess?"

"It kind of feels like it's impossible to get all the Pokémon by hanging around just these parts. I think that there are Pokémon we don't know about somewhere far away."

He was quiet for a moment, probably thinking of Pokémon we haven't seen from other regions.

"Well, if I can't do it," he began, smirking at me. "There's no way for you to get it done."

"Oh, yeah? Just watch me," I said, feeling confident in my, and my Pokémon's, abilities.

"I'm not going to get all desperate over this, unlike you. I'll keep collecting Pokémon at my own pace while I train them. That's what I'll do. So there's no point staying here. I may as well leave for home."

"Eh? But, Blue, weren't we going to—"

"I didn't forget," he said, pulling my hat down. "I'm just going home for now. I'll be at One Island around sunset since you said that's when you'll be done with your errand."

I pulled my hat up, laughing a little.

"Okay, I'll see you then," I said after fixing my hat.

"Just don't get yourself killed doing your exploring stuff. Red is going to get all bitchy at me if something happens to you," he said, walking past me. "Smell ya later."

He left the Pokémon Center, leaving me to heal up my Pokémon. After they were healed, I asked people about Team Rocket, but I didn't get any information about them. A man did tell me that there were some ruins on the island, and that there may be something hidden inside. I guess Team Rocket will have to wait a bit while I go check out those ruins. From what that man said, it was at the southern-most part of the island. Along the way, I was challenged by other trainers. I should just get a freaking sign on my back that says, "Battle me! It doesn't matter if I'm not a trainer!"

I wandered around for a bit, looking for the ruins that were supposed to be there. Along the way, I found a sun-shaped stone on the side of the road. I thought it looked pretty cool so I put it in my bag. The road was really long, a bunch of tall grass almost everywhere. After about twenty minutes of trying to find the freaking ruins, I eventually found the door to the ruins. A Pokémaniac that I had run into on my way here had told me that there were strange markings on it. I examined the door closely, finding the strange markings. Wait, that's Braille! I took out my notebook to check what the dots meant. I tore out a sheet of paper and looked at my notes so I could find out what it said.

"'Cut,'" I questioned, confused at what that's supposed to mean. Did it mean the HM move? Well, it's worth trying out. I sent out Terra and had her use Cut on the door, which caused the door to rumble. We watched until the door slowly slid open, allowing access to the ruins. I returned Terra to her pokéball and went inside, entering a large room that had a hole in the middle of it. I took out one of my Escape Ropes and tied it to a nearby rock, not taking the easy, more dangerous way to get down.

I climbed down the rope to the room below, which was a square room with four holes to the north, south, east, and west. In the middle of the room was a metallic slab, Braille inscribed into it. Using the same sheet of paper that had "cut" written on it, I quickly deciphered the message on the slab. This one said, "up," which was pretty clear to me. Unfortunately, there weren't any rocks I could use to tie another Escape Rope around. I carefully lowered myself down the northern hole, my hands gripping the edges so that the fall wouldn't hurt as much when I finally let go.

When I let go of the edge, I landed on my feet, ending up losing my balance and falling over, scraping my hands on the floor to keep myself from hitting the floor too hard. I quickly got up because this room was identical to the one above, which was really weird. The only difference was that the Braille message on the slab had different patterns. Thanks to my notes, this one said "left." I did the same as before for the western hole, falling on my butt this time which was really painful for me. The message in this room said, "right," which made me sigh because I had no idea how far down this cave goes. I went down the eastern hole, scraping my legs in the process from the fall.

In yet another room with another Braille message, the slab said, "down." This better be the last one because I'm getting sick of falling down these floors. I dropped down to the southern hole, ending up in a different-looking room than the previous ones. This one had a deep blue gem on a pedestal, similar to the ruby I found in Mt. Ember. This one was a sapphire. I bet this is the other gemstone Celio needed. Finally! At least I completed one thing I had to do today! I walked up to the pedestal, reaching out to grab the sapphire, until I heard a crash from behind me. I looked back, seeing a scientist, dressed in a lab coat, getting up from the floor and walking toward the pedestal. What the hell was this guy doing here?

"I guessed right," he said, chuckling. "I was right in tailing you!"

"You were stalking me," I asked, taking a step back out of surprise. The scientist then grabbed the sapphire, putting it in his lab coat pocket.

"I knew that there was a sapphire here, so it belongs to me," explained the scientist in a smug tone. "I'll sell it to Team Rocket for serious money and…"

He stopped when he noticed me staring at him. No, it was glare because I was seriously pissed at what he did. I didn't explore caves and fall down a whole mess of floors just for this guy to take what I needed. There was no chance that I was going to let this slide by, not after all the hard work I did.

"D-Don't glare at me like that," said the scientist, now uncomfortable from my glare. "If you want it back, why don't you go get it after I sell it? I'll even tell you one of the passwords to Team Rocket's Warehouse."

My glare softened after hearing that. If he tells me the other password that I needed, I'll be able to defeat the last of Team Rocket and take back the sapphire. Two birds with one stone.

"The warehouse password I know is 'Yes, nah, Chansey,'" continued the scientist. What's with these stupid passwords?

"Well, I'm done. Don't think badly of me," said the scientist, running to the ladder and climbing up it with incredible speed.

I made sure to remember the face of that scientist. He'll regret stealing from me. I climbed up the same ladder the scientist used, making my way back outside. I had Breeze fly me to the Pokémon Center of Six Island so I could use the ferry to get to Five Island, where the Rocket Warehouse was. Before I boarded the ferry, I wrote down the second password in my notebook before I forgot. I'll be damned if I forgot something as important as that. As the ferry sped to Five Island, I looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. It looked like it was late afternoon already.

Well, I did sleep in for a bit because Blue and I had stayed up late last night just talking at the beach. We were catching up on what we've done in the past five years. I didn't really do much, only going to school, doing homework, and staying in the school library during lunch. That and stay home most of the time or walk aimlessly around Pallet Town, daydreaming. Blue made and dropped a couple of friends through the years, doing his best in his classes, and even dated a few girls. I kind of found the last part surprising because Blue sometimes seemed like he loved himself more than anyone else. People can surprise you, I guess.

I mentally pushed away those thoughts as the boat arrived at Five Island. I ran straight for the warehouse, pushing through the tall grass to get to it. Soon, I was standing before the door to the warehouse, a small monitor by it. I entered the passwords and waited a couple of seconds before the door opened up. Inside, those arrowed tiles from the Rocket Hideout in Celadon were on the floor as well as those rubber yellow mats. I stepped on one to the left, which sent me sliding to the other side of the room. The tiles next to me took me to the northern part of the room, where a female Rocket grunt spotted me.

"Oh, I bet your Pokémon are strong," she said, feigning captivation. "Are you willing to sell them?"

"I'm not here for something stupid like that," I said angrily. "I'm looking for someone who stole from me!"

"So, it's a battle you want? Fine by me."

"I didn't want—"

The grunt sent out a strange dog-like Pokémon while I tossed Dream's pokéball in defense. The other Pokémon had black with white patterns on its back, head, and feet. What kind of Pokémon was that? Could it be a Dark-type? I've read about them but I've never seen one before until now. And I couldn't remember what it was they were weak to. I need to read more about them. I quickly focused on the battle, ordering Dream to use Waterfall. Surprisingly, the attack made the other Pokémon faint, giving me the conclusion that it was also a Fire-type… I think. The grunt then sent out another of the same Pokémon. Would it kill these guys to have a larger variety of Pokémon? Dream's Waterfall easily defeated the opposing Pokémon.

"We can give you a great price for your Pokémon," said the female grunt, actually impressed.

"No, thanks," I said, walking away. I found another set of arrowed tiles, which sent me sliding all around the room until a rubber mat stopped me. Another grunt saw me, walking up to me while taking out a pokéball.

"Did you come here knowing it's Team Rocket's Warehouse," he asked with surprise in his voice.

I nodded and then we both sent out our Pokémon, a Machop and Dragonite. Dream immediately attacked with Slam, slamming her large tail against the Fighting-type Pokémon. Machop was knocked out by it, forcing the grunt to send out another Machop. I ordered Dream to use Outrage on the Machop, also making it faint. I switched out Dream and sent out Breeze to battle against the grunt's next Pokémon, which was a Machoke. Breeze flew up to the ceiling, evading Machoke's Vital Throw, and dived back down at the opposing Pokémon, crashing into Machoke with great force. Machoke was knocked back by it, unconscious.

"What do you think you're doing," asked the grunt with irritation.

"Taking out what's left of Team Rocket," I replied, returning Breeze to his pokéball.

"You say that like Team Rocket broke up. That's stupid. What planet are you from?"

I stepped on a nearby arrowed tile and slid around for a bit until another rubber mat stopped me. From what that grunt said earlier, I don't think all of Team Rocket got the memo that they're disbanded now. Time for them to get some bad news. I walked around the arrowed tiles until I saw a small room. There was a TM on the table inside. Why would they have something like that laying around? Well, it's better off in my hands than theirs. After putting the TM in my case, I stepped on another arrowed tile, sending me a short distance. I took a couple of steps until another Rocket grunt spotted me.

"I got word about you from the others," he said, obviously discontent. "But there's no way a kid like you'd know our Boss Giovanni!"

He sent out a Hypno while I sent out Flare. I had Flare attack with Flamethrower, weakening Hypno. However, Hypno used Swagger, which infuriated Flare into confusion. I ordered Flare to use Wing Attack, but he ended up hurting himself from his confusion, giving Hypno the chance to strengthen itself. I switched out Flare and sent out Terra, Hypno strengthening itself even further. Terra's Earthquake finished off Hypno, the move causing the building to shake. Hm, maybe it isn't a good idea for Terra to use that move inside buildings. Then again, it's the Rocket Warehouse.

The grunt sent out another Hypno—really these guys won't get very far using the same Pokémon over and over— who was also defeated by Terra's Earthquake.

"Don't you dare laugh," said the grunt, glaring at me. "You shouldn't be mess in the doings of adults, pip-squeak!"

"I'm not _that_ short," I said, annoyed that he's pointing out my height. I'm only 5'3! Is that really considered short? I moved on ahead, another arrowed tile sending me a short distance, and came across another female Rocket grunt.

"I'm one of the admins here. I don't know or care if what I'm doing is right or wrong," she said with surprising calmness. "I just put my faith in Giovanni and do as I'm told."

On her shirt uniform, I think I saw the name Ariana in small letters sewn into it. I could be hallucinating, though. She sent out a Muk while I sent out Flare. Flare attacked with Flamethrower, leaving a burn on Muk as it tried to use Rock Tomb but missed. Flare weakened it further with Wing Attack, while Muk countered with Rock Tomb. The attack hurt Flare and even slowed him down. Just as I ordered Flare to finish it off with Strength, the admin used a Hyper Potion to heal Muk. Flare's attack managed to weaken it, and I had him follow up with another Flamethrower, defeating Muk.

I switched out Flare and sent out Terra as the admin sent out Arbok. I had Terra use Earthquake, which was more than enough to defeat Arbok. I switched Pokémon again, sending Flare back to battle. The admin sent out a Vileplume, which was hit by Flare's Flamethrower. Being part Grass-type, the fire attack defeated Vileplume, ending the battle.

"You're doing thing according to your beliefs and morals," said the Rocket admin as she returned Vileplume to its pokéball. "I understand now…"

She walked over to a machine nearby, flipping a few switches. She looked back at me, an impressed look on her face.

"I've made it so you can come back in through there," she said, pointing at a set of arrowed tiles to her left. "Why don't you go get rested and refreshed for what lies ahead? The admin after me outranks me thoroughly as a trainer. You'd better steel yourself for one harsh challenge."

"I'm not turning back now," I said to her as I returned Flare to his pokéball. "I can't be wasting time getting rest."

I walked on ahead, seeing the person the admin before was talking about. He was sitting in front of a computer, small traces of teal hair could be seen at the sides of his hat. He saw me from the corner of his eye, sighed, and stood up, turning to me.

"That's quite enough of you playing the hero, kid," he said eerily with calmness. "Spreading lies about how Team Rocket has disbanded… It's such an obvious attempt to cause confusion in our ranks. Fortunately, we're not so ignorant to fall for the lies of a child! And now, I'll show you how scary an angry adult can be!"

Before he threw his pokéball, I saw that "Archer" was sewn into his shirt, but I wasn't so sure. I threw Static's pokéball, having him battle against the admin's Golbat. I had Static start the battle with Thunderbolt, which hit Golbat with more power than usual. The admin and I both switched out our Pokémon, sending out a Weezing and Lapras respectively. Rain used Psychic on Weezing, which weakened it greatly. However, Weezing retaliated with a Thunderbolt, hurting Rain quite a bit. Before Rain could finish off Weezing with another Psychic, the admin used a Hyper Potion, healing Weezing. Rain's Psychic managed to severely weaken Weezing, making Hyper Potion almost useless. Another Psychic defeated Weezing, forcing the admin to use his last Pokémon.

His last Pokémon looked a lot like that black Fire-type Pokémon that female grunt from earlier had. But, this one was bigger, with horns on its head and a pointed tail. I had Rain attack with Surf, hoping that it would bring down the opposing Pokémon. The wave of water hit the other Pokémon with full force, knocking it out. I returned Rain to his pokéball and looked through my bag to get my badge case out. I opened it, pointing at the Earth Badge I had received from Giovanni almost a week ago.

"Th-That's Giovanni's badge," said the admin, surprise in his eyes. "Then is it true? Team Rocket has disbanded?"

He looked down for a moment, thinking, before meeting my eyes again.

"We will abandon this warehouse," he said, heading out. He stopped when he was right next to me, alarming me with how close he was. I grabbed Dream's pokéball just in case something was to happen. The admin looked at me from the corner of his eye, the same determination Giovanni had after I won the Earth Badge from him evident in his eyes.

"Don't think this is over," he said coldly. "I won't let this be the end. I will find Giovanni. And I will resurrect Team Rocket! I will… Until then, farewell!"

He walked away, and I watched as he and the Rocket admin before him walked out of the warehouse, other Rocket grunts following them out. I went over to the computer he was on when I met him, the monitor showing a report with graphs and text. The report was called "The Influence of Magnetic Waves on Pokémon Evolution." However, most of the report was composed of advanced scientific terms, but the title itself was enough to make me feel uneasy. I stepped away from the computer, noticing a hallway that lead to another room nearby. What was in there? I walked over to the next room, meeting the one person I was eager to see again. Right in front of me, sitting in front of a computer, was that scientist who swiped the sapphire from me. He looked up from the monitor, looking very disappointed.

"I almost managed to sell the sapphire for huge money," he said, his disappointment changing to anger. "Then, you just had to come along and blow the whole deal apart! There's no forgiveness for you!"

"I was thinking the same thing for you," I said, grabbing Terra's pokéball as the scientist took one out as well.

He sent out a Voltorb, giving Terra the type advantage for this battle. Terra dug a hole through the tiles beneath us, evading Voltorb's Sonicboom, and striking the other Pokémon from beneath. Voltorb fainted from the attack, forcing the scientist to send out an Electrode. Terra's Earthquake defeated Electrode with ease. This warehouse is incredibly sturdy to withstand Terra's Earthquake for so long. I switched out Terra and sent out Flare as the scientist sent out a Magnemite.

I ordered Flare to use Flamethrower, knocking out the Electric/Steel Pokémon. The scientist then sent out Magnemite's evolution, Magneton. It's still a Steel-type so another Flamethrower should take it out. The powerful fire attack caused the Magneton to faint. The scientist sent out his last Pokémon, which was a Porygon. Isn't that the expensive prize Pokémon you can win at the Celadon Game Corner? I'm not sure what it does, but I'm sure Flare can handle it. Flare attacked with Wing Attack, slamming his wings against the strange pink and blue Pokémon. It weakened it, but Porygon took the opportunity to counter with Tri-Attack, hurting Flare a little. I had Flare finish it off with Strength, bringing sweet victory to me.

"Agh, damn it," said the scientist, calling back his faint Porygon. "Fine! If I can't sell it, it's worthless! Go ahead and take it!"

He reached into the pocket of his lab coat, taking out the sapphire. He handed it to me, which I quickly put away in my bag in case he had any second thoughts.

"You… You're not Giovanni's kid, are you," asked the scientist, staring intently at me. "No, that can't be right. Giovanni's kid has red hair. You don't have any reason to be here now, so leave me alone!"

Giovanni has a kid? And this kid has red hair. Red hair… Was it Lance? Or Lorelei? No, they seem too old to be his offspring. Maybe it's someone I haven't met yet. I kind of doubt that I'll ever meet them, though. I walked out of the warehouse and ran back to the dock to board the ferry. I had to get the sapphire to Celio ASAP. Besides, it looked like the sun would set in thirty minutes or so. Time sure flies by when you're exploring and battling Rocket grunts. The boat arrived at One Island in about five minutes, and I ran straight to the Pokémon Center, taking the sapphire out of my bag.

"Celio," I called out, running up to him. "I think I found what you needed!"

I handed the sapphire to him, and he stared at it questioningly. Oh, please don't tell me it wasn't what he was looking for.

"So this is the gem that forms a pair with the ruby," he said, putting the sapphire in separate compartment from the ruby. He stared at me, probably looking at how beat up I looked.

"Leaf, you've gone through a lot to get this, didn't you," he asked me.

I sighed in response, nodding.

"You don't have to tell me," said Celio, smiling lightly. "I know it wasn't easy. Thank you so much for finding the sapphire! Now it's my turn to work for you! Please give me a little time."

He began to type furiously at the keyboard on the large machine, looking up at the monitor to see lots of numbers filling it up.

"Okay, this is good," he muttered, typing some more. The screen then turned green, and Celio looked very happy seeing that.

"I did it," he said, obviously thrilled. "I linked up with Lanette!"

Who's Lanette? Celio then put his hands on my shoulders, his face just full of joy.

"Leaf… Leaf, I did it! I've managed to link up with trainers in the Hoenn region," he told me, pulling his hands away. "Finally, the Network Machine is fully operational! Leaf, I owe it all to you! Thanks to you, my dream came true."

He looked up at the Network Machine, moving his glasses out of the way so he could rub at his eyes.

"Are you crying," I asked, trying to get a good look at him.

"I… I'm not crying," he replied, fixing his glasses. "That's enough about me, though. Leaf, you're going to keep looking for exotic Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah, I have to fill up my Pokédex before a certain other guy does."

"I wish you the best of luck! And thanks again!"

"No problem! I'll see you later, Celio," I said, heading for the door. Now that everything was done, I went to the small beach on the island. I dropped by bag on the sand and carefully sat down, grateful that the sand was decently soft. I stretched my legs out, looking at the scrapes and forming bruises on it. My gaze then went from my legs to the sea, making me feel like I was back home. The sun was already setting, painting the sky around it with shades of pink, orange, and purple. The rocks that were further out sea kept the waves from crashing onto the island, giving the water a rhythmic push and pull by the shore. It was really relaxing, and I sure needed it after all that I did today.

"So you're done with your errand," I heard a familiar voice say. I turned my head and saw Blue standing behind me. I just nodded, and he sat down beside me, still carrying that Pokémon egg. He set it on the sand to his right, the egg sitting between us.

"You look like you got mauled by a Gyarados," said Blue, looking at me.

"Shut up," I said, punching him in the arm. "I've had a long day."

"Yeah, me too. This egg isn't hatching no matter what I do."

"Have you tried letting Pidgeot sit on it? That could work."

"It didn't work, and not even Arcanine could get it to hatch."

"What about talking to it? I once saw this documentary on how a baby is made, and it said that babies can hear what goes on outside."

"You sure that was a documentary," asked Blue, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It talked about reproductive organs, how a baby develops when inside the mom, and it even showed a short scene of a lady giving birth!"

"Never mind! Forget I asked!"

"Anyway, try talking to it. It could help, even a little."

Blue picked up the egg, looking a little unsure of talking to it.

"Hey, you should hatch soon," he said to the egg. "I'm getting tired of carrying you around. So, stop being lazy and start hatching."

"Not like that," I said, taking the egg from his hands. "You have to be gentle! There's a baby Pokémon inside that egg. Babies need to be handled with care."

"Then why don't you talk to it?"

"Fine, I will," I told him, holding up the egg so that it was at eye level. "Um, hi, little Pokémon. When will you hatch? Because I really want to meet you and be friends. Don't worry about Blue. He can be stupid at times."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, I hope I have the chance to see you soon."

It was quiet for a bit, only the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks further away. Blue and I just stared at the egg, wondering if it would start hatching now. It didn't, but I felt movement inside, which made me gasp.

"What? What is it," asked Blue, his eyes going from me to the egg.

"You can feel it moving," I said, looking at him. "Here, put your hand on it."

I grabbed Blue's right hand and put it on the egg, letting him feel the baby Pokémon moving about inside.

"Does that mean it'll hatch soon," asked Blue, pulling his hand away.

"I don't know, but let me know if it does," I replied, handing back the egg to him. "Be really nice to it, okay? You have to remember that it's a baby."

"First Gramps, now you," he asked with annoyance, looking at the egg in his hands.

"What are you talking about?"

Blue was silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether to tell me or not.

"After Red…" Blue stopped, probably not wanting to admit that he had lost to Red. "Yeah, well, Gramps came in after and started saying all these nice things to him, and then he tells me that I don't care enough about my Pokémon and stuff. I'm doing my best to take care of them now, but the old guy doesn't even notice."

"Maybe this Pokémon egg is the chance you need," I said, leaning forward a little to see his face. "If you raise it with love and encouragement, it can grow up to be really strong. Then, everyone will know that you really care and that you trust your Pokémon."

"That's really sappy," he said, pulling my hat down over my eyes. "But thanks."

I pulled my hat up from my eyes and rested my head against Blue's arm.

"Get off me," he said, trying to shrug me off.

"Stop," I said, punching him in the side but not too hard. "I'm tired. Let me use you as a pillow for a little bit."

"I'm not your pillow!"

"Fine. Red can be my pillow."

"Ugh, all right, then," he said reluctantly while I smirked.

"Blue?"

"What now?"

"Does this mean we're friends again?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

Blue sighed and said, "It's… Nice. To have you back, I mean."

"Admit it. You missed me," I said, pulling away from him. "C'mon! I want to hear you say it."

"No."

"Please? I won't tell anyone."

"No."

I looked away from him, sniffing.

"You're so mean, Blue," I said, my voice uneven. "I can't believe you didn't miss me the past five years."

"Are you crying," asked Blue with alarm. I covered my face with my hands, sniffing some more.

"Okay, okay, fine," said Blue. "I missed you. There! I said it! Are you happy now?"

"Very," I said, looking at him with a big grin.

"You little faker! I thought you were crying," said Blue, obviously pissed about my act.

"You missed me. You missed me," I sang, giggling. Blue groaned, covering his eyes with his right hand.

"Don't worry. It'll be our little secret," I said playfully. That's when we heard a cracking noise, and we both looked down at the egg on Blue's lap. He set the egg on the sand between us, letting me watch, too. There was a small crack on it, a small part of the shell sticking out. Underneath that part was what looked like the mouth of the Pokémon, light green like its eggshell.

"It's hatching," I said with excitement, my eyes not leaving the egg. The Pokémon inside began to break more of the egg, creating more cracks on the shell. It then began to push the top of the shell, the cracks making it easier for the eggshell to break in half. The Pokémon looked around, the eggshell on its head covering most of its body. Blue lifted the broken shell off it, and we both saw the Pokémon inside. Its body was a light green, a large crest on its head. It had red eyes with black markings on it, and the belly had a red diamond-shaped pattern on it. Its tail looked kind of like a pinecone, and there were what looked like black openings on the sides of its body. It stared intently at us, its red eyes observing our faces.

"Blue, what Pokémon is that," I asked, causing the baby Pokémon to suddenly look at me.

"I don't know," he replied, taking out his Pokédex. The green Pokémon took an unsteady step toward me and rubbed its cheek against my waist, its small arms trying to hug me.

"Aw, it likes me," I said, hugging the little Pokémon back.

"It's called Larvitar," said Blue, showing me the page of information on his Pokédex. "It's a Rock/Ground-type, and it's a boy. If I train it, it might evolve and… Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, I am," I replied, holding Larvitar's small hands in my own. "I've never seen a Pokémon like this before. I wonder where his species originate from."

"Who knows? Anyway, come on, Larvitar," said Blue, holding out a pokéball. "Time to get in the pokéball."

Larvitar looked at the pokéball for a few seconds before looking away, as if seeing the pokéball as beneath him. Instead, he began to hug my hand, looking quite happy.

"What the hell? It's my Pokémon but it likes you instead of me," said a very annoyed Blue.

"Maybe he thinks I'm his mom," I said, petting Larvitar.

"Yeah, right. You'd be a horrible mother."

"Larvitar doesn't think so. Isn't that right, Larvitar?"

Larvitar just smiled at me, while I stuck my tongue out at Blue.

"Hey, if he thinks I'm his mom," I mused, looking up thoughtfully. "Then wouldn't that make you his dad? He did see both of us when he hatched."

"If he saw us both, why does he like you more?"

I shrugged, but I knew that Blue wasn't too happy about this situation.

"Larvitar," I began softly, getting the baby Pokémon's attention. "You need to go with Blue. You're his Pokémon, but we'll be able to see each other again soon."

Larvitar didn't seem happy at what I said, but begrudgingly walked over to Blue. Blue's pokéball drew in Larvitar, and Blue clipped the ball to his belt.

"He'll warm up to you," I said to Blue reassuringly. "You're his dad, after all."

"Just knowing that he thinks of you as his mom is really unsettling. Anyway, we should head back home. There's nothing else we can do here."

He got up while I reached my arms out, earning a confused look from Blue.

"Carry me," I said.

"Why? You have legs, so get up."

"I'm too tired to walk. Please? You used to give me piggy-back rides when we were kids."

Blue rolled his eyes, but turned around and lowered himself, letting me climb onto his back. He got up, almost falling over.

"Shit, you're heavy now," he said, getting a punch to the arm from me. "Hit me again and I'll drop you."

"Is that how you treat your Pokémon's mom," I asked as he picked up my bag from the ground and handed it to me.

"If you keep it up, Leaf, I'm going to be sure to have full custody of Larvitar and deny you any visits."

"Jerk!"

* * *

"Home sweet home," I said as Blue carried me to my house. He helped me get on Breeze when we arrived in Vermilion City from One Island and was nice enough to help me get home after flying to Pallet Town.

"What are you two doing," asked a voice, making me look over Blue's shoulder to see who it was. It was Red, and he was staring at us. The look in his eyes had what I think were annoyance, anger, and something else I wasn't sure of.

"Hi, Red," I said, waving at him. "Blue and I just came back from the Sevii Islands. He's carrying me home."

"But she's a backbreaker," said Blue, earning yet another punch from me.

"Then put her down," said Red with seriousness.

"Whatever you say."

There was a mischievous tone in Blue's voice, and I wasn't sure if I liked the sound of that. He suddenly let go of my legs, and I would have fallen down by myself but I grabbed Blue by the back of the shirt, taking him with me. I landed on my back on the floor, Blue falling on me. I sat up, helping Blue up so he could get off me.

"Idiot," I said angrily at him as he helped me up. "Why did you do that for?"

"Blame Red for his poor choice of words," he replied, smirking.

"Oh, Red, guess what happened earlier," I asked him, walking closer to him.

"What happened?"

"Blue and I hatched a Pokémon egg together! Now the baby Larvitar thinks I'm his mom."

I expected Red to be happy but he looked angry at what I said. He suddenly grabbed my hands in his own, staring seriously at me.

"Leaf, can you and I hatch a Pokémon egg together," he asked me, his face getting a little red from another fever.

"Sure," I said happily, smiling at him. "I'd like to hatch a lot of eggs with you!"

Red's face got really red, and he suddenly pulled his hands away from mine as blood came out his nose. He covered up his nose to keep blood from dripping out.

"You're getting a nosebleed," I said with shock and worry as Blue just laughed at what was happening.

* * *

_**A/N: And that's how Blue gets that Tyranitar in his rematch battles in FRLG and HGSS. Red, you pervert! How dare you see that as a double entendre! Well, it's more of an un entendre. Oh, as a bonus for you guys, Leaf is actually the oldest out of the three of them. Blue is the second oldest while Red is the youngest. So, both Leaf and Blue are 15, but Red is still 14, though it's his 15th year. I know I said in earlier chapters that he was the same age as them, but I really suck at math and time. *fail* I'll try not to make a mistake like that again.**_


	27. Island Exploration

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 3: A New Beginning

I carefully set the cooked egg over my toast, which had a spread of oran berry jam on it. I bit into it hungrily, glancing over at the television since my mom was watching the morning news. Reporters were interviewing the president of Silph about the future of the company, and what he plans to do about the company's security since Team Rocket invaded it. The president said that they would increase their security to prevent such an incident from happening again. He also added that they were working on a new product called a Pokégear. This new technology would function as a portable phone, an electronic map, and even a radio. However, it wouldn't be available until next year, and it was going to be released in both Kanto and Johto.

Wow, that would be a great present to get Red and Blue. Then we'll be able to call each other when we're far away. There was a knock at the door, my mom getting up from the table to answer it. I just continued eating my toast but watched my mom open the door.

"Blue," asked my mom, quite surprised to see him again.

"Hey," said Blue, giving a slow wave of his hand. "Is Leaf here?"

"Hi, Blue," I called out from the table. "Where's Larvitar?"

At that, my mom opened the door a little more, letting Larvitar come into the house. Guess Blue had him out of his pokéball. I quickly wiped my mouth with my napkin before kneeling down to pick up Larvitar. Though, he was too heavy to pick up so I settled for hugging him. My mom looked from me to Blue and back again.

"Would you like to come inside," she asked Blue, who gave a small nod in response. Blue walked in, my mom closing up the door, and he sat across from where I was sitting, watching Larvitar snuggle up to me.

"Did you feed him yet," I asked Blue, looking up at him.

"Yeah, he ate a whole mess of dirt earlier," he replied, crossing his arms on the table.

"Dirt? Why would you have him eat dirt?"

"'Cause that's what he eats. It's the _only_ thing he eats. The Larvitar species eat soil to prepare for evolution."

"Wow, I didn't know that. If you find out anything else about him, tell me, okay? I want to know as much as I can about him."

"Leaf," said my mom, sitting in the chair beside Blue. "Why are you so concerned about his Pokémon?"

"Oh, that's because I'm Larvitar's mom," I replied, sitting back in my seat as Larvitar hugged my left leg.

"What," asked my mom, quite shocked.

"We only hatched the egg," explained Blue, looking down at Larvitar. "When he hatched, he saw us and now thinks we're his parents. But, he likes Leaf more than me."

"Babies have a stronger bond with mothers. However, the role of the father is also important for the baby to grow. I remember when Leaf was a newborn, she would cry whenever Arian would hold her."

My mom chuckled at the memory, gazing at the table with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"That didn't discourage him, though," she continued, looking up at us. "He would hold Leaf whenever he had the chance. He really was a doting father, doing his best to protect Leaf and give her the best."

"So," I began, wondering if I understood what she was going with this. "If Blue acts like a doting father, Larvitar will like him more?"

I laughed at the idea, finding it almost unbelievable. I really couldn't even imagine Blue acting like that with his Pokémon or anyone else. Blue looked annoyed by my laughter, so I tried my best to settle down.

"Hm, well, you two do seem like the most unlikely of parents," commented my mother, her hand right hand on her cheek in thought.

"That's kind of the reason why I think it's weird that Larvitar thinks of her as his mom," said Blue.

"Anyway, Leaf, what will you be doing today?"

"I have to head back to the Sevii Islands," I replied, finishing up the last of my toast. "I have to let Lorelei know about something and there are parts of the islands I haven't checked out yet."

"In that case, Blue, can you go with Leaf to the Sevii Islands," asked my mom.

"What? Why do I have to go with her," asked Blue with an annoyed tone. "She can take care of herself."

"Yeah, what he said," I agreed, standing up from my chair. "I did fine on my own yesterday!"

"Leaf," began my mom, her voice calm. "Didn't you tell me that you've given up training?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Then you should have someone with you, like a bodyguard. Red was my first choice, but Hazel told me that he had already gone to the Pokémon League, so I settled on having Blue be with you. Besides, you came home with bruises yesterday that you got from being on your own. I don't want something like that again."

"I'll get my things," I said in a low voice, staring at the table.

"I'll wait for you outside," said Blue, also in a low voice.

We both walked away from the table, he heading outside while Larvitar followed him, and I went upstairs. I grabbed my bag and shoved extra clothes into it, not at all pleased with my mom's decision. I could tell that Blue was also mad about the whole thing. After we had settled everything two nights ago, I've been doing my best to pick up on the emotions of others. That's partially the reason why we ended up fighting five years ago, so there was no way I was going to repeat that mistake again, especially with Blue. I didn't want to screw up my second chance of a friendship with him.

After gathering all of my things and putting my trainer belt on, I went downstairs, saying goodbye to my mom. Hm, should I even call my belt a trainer belt now? I don't want to be trainer anymore. Well, whatever, it's not that important. Outside, Blue was leaning against the wall by my door, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the ground. Larvitar looked up at his trainer curiously and then at me, as if asking for an explanation for Blue's current mood.

"Ready to go," I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, walking away. I followed him, Larvitar following close by me. We walked in silence for a while until we were a good distance away from my house.

"Why does my mom think I can't take care of myself," I asked, more to myself than to Blue. "Is it because I'm a girl and she thinks I'm too fragile? Why should it matter if I'm on my own or not?"

"It shouldn't matter," replied Blue, who stopped walking. I stopped, too, and looked at our surroundings. We were right by the road that leads to Route 1, where Flare and I first started our adventure and where I caught Breeze. Funny how we're supposed to be heading over to Vermilion with our Pokémon but we walked all the way over here instead. Maybe we both had to vent out our frustrations?

"It shouldn't matter because you've trained your Pokémon well," explained Blue as calmly as he could. "I know that from experience."

"Why can't she see that? I'm in the Hall of Fame, and she knows that. Why doesn't she see that I'm good enough?"

"You tell me," he said, sitting by the fence that served as the border of our town, his left leg folded up a little.

"Maybe she's just worried about losing me or something," I replied, sitting to his right, Larvitar sitting between us. "She's already lost my dad, and I don't think she'd want to lose me, too."

"Well, she should have given it more thought before 'settling' on me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that she thinks Red is better, just like Gramps and everyone else in this fucking town."

He raised his voice a bit at the end, showing his frustration and anger. Yesterday, during dinner with my mom, she had told me that everyone was proud—as well as envious—that Red was the Champion. After all, it was someone from our small town that achieved such great heights. The younger population was already looking up to Red, giving them the hope that they, too, could make it far as trainers.

"I trained just as much as that bastard," said Blue, his right hand closing into a fist in anger. "I collected more Pokémon, too. But it's not enough, is it? No, because even if I keep catching and training Pokémon, everyone will see Red as the best since he's the Champion."

I remained quiet, listening to every word he said. There was something about what he was saying that felt like it was tying knots in my stomach.

"It isn't fair," yelled Blue, staring at the ground in front of his feet. "I was the Champion first! But suddenly it doesn't matter, and no one gives a shit about what I've done. They don't even acknowledge it, like it never happened! Just from losing to you and Red, I'm behind you guys, the one who tries his best and it's still not good enough. What the hell can I do now if nobody is going to even notice what I do?"

"I'll notice," I said softly, causing him to suddenly look at me. "Blue, I… I know what you're talking about. A long while back, I felt like the one who was behind everyone. You were beating gym leaders before me, and Red was really good at training and battling. It made me wonder where I fitted in everything, and if what I did even mattered when there were better people than me. I was even considering giving up because I didn't think I'd ever beat you."

"Look how that turned out."

"But that wasn't what I was trying to accomplish. I only wanted you to see that I was just as good as you, that we were equals. I don't really care if no one else knows about my accomplishment as long as you knew because you're the one I wanted to know about it more than anyone else."

"So, you're saying I should do whatever even when no one else but you acknowledges it?"

I nodded, a small smile on my lips as I did so.

"That doesn't sound very appealing," he commented, looking away.

"You jerk!"

I crossed my arms over my chest, looking away from him out of anger. I heard a low growl and looked back at Larvitar. The green Pokémon had his little hands on Blue's leg for support, looking up angrily at his trainer. He growled a few more times and glanced over at me. I wish I knew what he was saying, but I could guess.

"I think he wants you to apologize," I said, not looking at Blue.

"Then he's going to be very disappointed."

Typical Blue. I watched Larvitar run around so that he was on Blue's left. Larvitar then put his head against Blue's side and pushed him, causing Blue to lean a little too much against me.

"The hell are you doing," asked Blue, obviously irritated. His right arm was propped behind my back, his only support against Larvitar, his left trying to push away the Rock/Ground-type Pokémon. Part of his chest was uncomfortably against my left arm while my right was all I had to balance myself, making it hard to push him with my own hands. For a little Pokémon, Larvitar was really strong.

"You're too close," I said, trying to push Blue away with my own weight. "Back up!"

"I would if Larvitar wasn't pushing me! Stop it, Larvitar!"

"Larvitar! Don't push Blue!"

I was about to crawl out of this when Larvitar just growled in protest and gave one last push, causing Blue and I to lose our balance on our arms. My hand scraped against the ground as I fell on my side while Blue landed on top of me.

"Get off me," I yelled, not enjoying having him so close to me like this.

"Shut up! I know," said Blue, lifting himself up with his arms.

"Blue, what are you doing," asked a panicked voice. Blue and I looked over to see Daisy, two bags of groceries on the ground to each side of her. Her mouth was open in shock, but I don't really know what it is she's shocked about.

"I'm telling grandpa," said Daisy, picking up the dropped bags as Blue quickly got off me.

"Let's go to Vermilion already," he said, helping me up.

"What about Daisy," I asked, looking at where Daisy had run off to.

"Look, from what she saw, I'm going to be in trouble if we stay here any longer."

Blue returned Larvitar to his pokéball, who was watching us with a mischievous look in his red eyes. I just shrugged, not quite understanding what it is Blue will get in trouble for. We sent out our Pidgeot and had them fly us to Vermilion City.

* * *

"What the hell are we doing on One Island," asked Blue as we walked to the Pokémon Center.

"I want to go check up on Celio," I replied, not looking at him. "I'm hoping that he won't need me to do any other errands."

"If you don't want to do any errands, then shouldn't you be avoiding him?"

"I'm being nice, something you don't know much about."

He pulled my hat over my eyes, and I quickly pulled it off, glaring at him. I was still mad about earlier and he's really pushing it. We went inside the large Pokémon Center, Celio typing a few things in the Network Machine.

"Hey, Celio," I called out, waving at him. "How's the Network Machine?"

"Hi, Leaf," he said, turning and smiling at me. "I'm just doing a little maintenance, but its running fine. By the way, Leaf, I've been hearing rumors about you."

"Rumors? What kind of rumors?"

"You're from Pallet Town, aren't you? I've heard that it's a quiet and pleasant place."

"Not to mention boring," added Blue.

"Oh, sorry," I said, but to Celio instead of Blue. "This is Blue, a total douche."

"What?"

I just smirked as Celio tried to pretend he didn't hear the last part.

"It's nice to meet you, Blue," said Celio, smiling politely. "Anyway, Leaf, did you know that Bill's hometown is Goldenrod City? That's in Johto, and I've heard it's quite the festive, bustling city. I'd like to go there one day."

"It does sound like a nice place to visit," I said, thinking about traveling to Johto. "And I'll be able to catch more Pokémon there."

"Leaf, what's your favorite kind of Pokémon?"

"I don't think I have any favorite except for my own."

"Ah, I figured you might have been a Pokémaniac like Bill. Is there anything you can't stand?"

"There is one thing I can't stand and it's this guy standing next to me."

"Says the one who's been around me a lot lately," said Blue, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Ah, I meant along the lines of food allergies and the like," explained Celio, now looking a little awkward. "If you ever eat lunch with Bill or anything, you'll probably notice that he's lactose intolerant."

"Can we go now," asked Blue, giving me a bored expression.

"Well, Celio, I have to get going," I said as politely as possible. "We have to go look around the islands some more. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, it was nice to see you again."

Blue and I walked out of the Pokémon Center and boarded the ferry to Four Island.

"So, is that guy like your boyfriend or something," asked Blue as we rode the boat.

"Yeah, he is," I replied with a small nod. Blue gave me a surprised look, but his surprise was replaced by skepticism.

"Wait, you mean the 'boy who happens to be my friend' kind of boyfriend, right?"

"Um, yeah. What else would it mean? Hey, are you saying there are different kinds of boyfriends?"

"Never mind."

We were quiet the rest of the trip to Four Island and while we walked to Lorelei's house. However, she wasn't home so I wrote a note for her in my notebook and put it in her mailbox, making sure that Blue didn't read what it said. We left Four Island and headed for Five Island, the sea calmer than it was on the previous island. Good thing because there were little islands around that we could only get to by having our Pokémon surf there. I released Rain from his pokéball, and he looked very happy to be in the water.

"We're going to head north of this island," I told Rain, but loud enough for Blue to hear. I finally looked at Blue, wondering if he was going to send out Blastoise or not.

"How are you getting there," I asked him.

"Hitching a ride on your Lapras," he replied matter-of-factly.

"What? Why don't you ride on Blastoise?"

"He doesn't know Surf, except for another Pokémon I taught it to," he explained, climbing onto Rain's shell. Rain turned his head, watching Blue intently.

"Why would you teach an HM move to another Pokémon?"

"I wanted my Pokémon to know good battle moves, not useless moves that some other Pokémon could learn."

I huffed and climbed onto Rain's shell, doing my best to have some distance between me and Blue. Rain swam through the water but stopped to look at a mess of rocks to the left.

"Rain, let's check out what's over there," I told him, who nodded and swam around the rocks. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Blue was staring at the horizon, probably bored out of his mind. In a way, I wish that it really was Red with me. Red, at least, would show in his own way that he enjoyed being around me, no matter what we were doing together. It also made me wish that he wasn't Champion so that he'd be with me now. Damn, I guess I really miss Red.

Rain had found his way around the rocks and arrived at a small island in the end, a woman feeding Pokémon some berries and a man carrying a white Pokémon egg that had red and blue markings on it. Rain swam close to the shore and stopped, looking back at us to see if we would talk to the people or not. The man, who was wearing a brown suit, noticed us and walked over, holding the egg close to his body.

"Excuse me, but are you traveling around," he asked us.

"Pretty much," I replied, wondering what he wanted.

"You don't drive your Pokémon too harshly, do you?"

"N-No! I'm not even a trainer!"

He stared at me for a moment, examining me before shrugging. He held out the egg for me to get, and I accepted it from him, unsure why he gave me this egg.

"I think you can be entrusted with it. I received that egg while I was traveling. I'm sure the Pokémon that hatches from the egg will be better off in your hands."

"Um, thanks! I'll take good care of it!"

I held the egg close to me while Rain turned and swam back.

"Yay, my own Pokémon egg," I said excitedly. "Now Larvitar can have a little brother or sister!"

"We'll you're going to be a single mother with that Pokémon," said Blue, smirking a little.

"Like I need your help with raising it," I retorted, turning away from him. I set the egg in my bag, using my extra clothes to warm it up.

Rain swam up north until we arrived at another island. I returned Rain to his pokéball as Blue and I checked out the island. There was a big house not too far away and other trainers. Of course, when they saw me, I had Blue battle for me. While he was busy battling against a painter who was really pissed that we walked in on the scene she was painting, I went on ahead to check who lived in that house. The mailbox in the front said "Selphy" on it, but I have no idea who she might be. I knocked on the door and waited for the door to open. No one answered, though. Hm, guess no one's home. Blue approached me, looking quite pleased.

"By the look of it, you won, right," I asked, already knowing what he'll say.

"You got that right! Arcanine took out her Pokémon in just one hit," he said proudly. "Bet your Pokémon can't do that!"

"You did a good job, Blue," I commented, resisting the urge to tell him otherwise.

"Good? More like great!"

"Yeah… Anyway, there's another island over there and I want to go see it."

I sent out Rain again and had him take us to the small island nearby. There was only a cave there, but maybe the cave had something interesting in it. In the first room of the cave, it was completely empty except for a ladder in the middle of the room that led to a lower floor. I ran over and quickly climbed down, eager to see what was around here. The room below was strangely foggy, but I could see that there were entrances to the north, south, east, and west walls. I took out my notebook and began to sketch out the layout to make it easier to keep track of where we're heading.

"Great. There's fog," said Blue, finally joining me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm drawing the room," I said, showing him the sketch in my notebook. "There's a lot of ways out of this room and it'd be nice to have a map."

"Your drawing is still horrible but it's a smart idea."

I guess he was talking about the square that was the room and the circles that represented the rocks. Really, it was a quick sketch, and I never really was good at drawing. Eh, at least it was a half-compliment instead of an insult.

"Thanks! Hopefully my sketches can keep us from getting lost in here."

There was a sudden scream, which startled the both of us. An older man—probably an archaeologist from the way he was dressed—ran towards us, looking scared out of his mind.

"I… I thought this was an ancient ruin," he said breathlessly. "But it's teeming with ghosts! I'm getting out of here!"

I dropped my notebook as the man quickly climbed up the ladder. There were actually ghosts in this cave?

"Leaf? Are you okay," I heard Blue ask me.

I couldn't bring myself to answer because I knew my voice would show my fear if I spoke. Instead, I gave a small nod, doing the best I could to keep a brave face. Blue sighed, picking up my notebook from the ground and handing it to me. His eyes stared at the notebook, and I looked down to see that my hands were making it shake. Stupid hands! Stop shaking!

"We can turn back if you want," said Blue, his voice surprisingly calm.

"No," I yelled, startling myself from the echo. "I want to keep going."

"If you say so," he said, pulling one of my hands away from my notebook and holding it. I looked at him with confusion, wondering why he was doing that.

"What? You want to get lost in this cave," he asked, smirking. I shook my head as he pulled me to the northern entrance. Strangely, we ended up in the same room as before. I knew because, when I looked at my sketch, the rocks were in the same place and the ladder was in the top-right corner. I pulled my hand away from Blue, took out the pencil from the coil of the notebook, and drew an "X" on the top line of the square in my drawing.

"That was weird," I said, putting the pencil back in the coil. "We're back to where we started from."

"There's probably some kind of trick to it," said Blue, looking at other entrances.

"Let's pick one and see where it takes us. How about the left one?"

I walked toward the eastern entrance, Blue following me. However, it took us back to the same room.

"Well, that didn't work," commented Blue. "I'm going back."

He turned around, and I followed him back. Though, we would have been back again, but the room was different. There were more rocks around, and I sketched out this room, drawing the exact number of large rocks in it and marking the right line of the last room to show that that was the way here. Since explaining all the trial-and-errors we did to the point of wanting to rip our own hair out—and let's not forget meeting up with Ghost-type Pokémon—is too tedious, I'll just skip ahead to the last room we managed to get to. By now, Blue and I were sick of this cave. In the last—I hope it's the last one—room, a girl in a blue dress stood in the middle of the room. She had long blonde hair, wore a big white sunhat with a blue ribbon tied to it, and a small white purse with a long strap was slung around her right shoulder. Her back was turned to us, looking down at the ground.

"Um, hey," began Blue, walking over to her. "Are you—"

The girl screamed, turning around and slapping Blue.

"Stay away from me, you pervert," she said, taking a couple steps back after the slap. "Or my Persian are going to have to rough you up!"

"Whoa, hold on," I said, walking up to the both of them. "Blue might look like a pervert but he isn't!"

"Oh, it's even worse," said the girl, taking out a pokéball from her purse. "You're both murderers out to get me!"

"What," asked Blue and I at the same time. The girl tossed her pokéball, sending out a Persian, while Blue took out his own and sent out Arcanine. I watched as Blue ordered Arcanine to use Flamethrower, quickly defeating Persian. As I watched, I noticed Blue had that cocky look on his face, like nothing could take him or his Pokémon down. Sure, it was irritating when he boasted about himself, but he's always been the proud, confident one. After what he had told me earlier, this is probably all he has left, the little that remained of his broken pride. The girl sent out another Persian, which also was defeated by Arcanine's Flamethrower.

"Ah, please, don't hurt me," said the girl, returning her defeated Persian to its pokéball. She stepped back some more, trying to put as much distance between us and her.

"We're not here to hurt you or anything," I explained, slowly walking toward her. "See, my friend and I were exploring this cave to see if there was anything here."

"Oh… I was afraid that you meant to harm me. My mistake."

She seemed to ease up a little, but still looked somewhat tense.

"I'm glad that you've come around here," she said with relief. "I got lost while walking through the cave. Would you mind leading me out and taking me home?"

"Sure thing! We'll be happy to escort you!"

She nodded, a smile on her face, and walked over to the entrance. Blue and I followed her, and he leaned close to my ear to tell me something.

"Do I seriously look like a pervert," he asked in a low voice.

"I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "I guess you kind of do if she thought you were one."

He sighed and I laughed a bit as we made our way back outside. We helped the girl get back home on my Lapras, and we found out she lived in that house we saw earlier on the little island.

"Thank you," she said when she was right in front of her house. "Oh, I'm sorry but we didn't properly introduce ourselves. I'm Selphy, and you are?"

"I'm Leaf," I said, putting a hand on my chest to emphasize that.

"And I'm Blue," said Blue, looking away.

"Ah, Leaf and Blue. You may go now," said Selphy, heading inside her house.

"That's it? Not even a sorry for slapping me?"

"Blue, I'm just as disappointed as you are," I said with a sigh. "We didn't get to find anything valuable or whatever in that cave."

To avoid wallowing in disappointment, we had our Pidgeot fly us back to the Pokémon Center on Five Island. However, there was one last little thing I wanted to do before we left Five Island. I told Blue about the memorial I came across yesterday and that I wanted to pay my respects to it. Blue looked annoyed about doing this but went along with me anyway. Not that he could stay behind or anything. Still, I wonder what the memorial was for in the first place. When we arrived on the little island, the boy from yesterday was there again. This time, he noticed me, looking up from his scrubbing. He was wearing a red shirt with blue shorts that looked a little dirty.

"Hello," he said in a low voice. "This is where I buried my Onix…It was named Tectonix."

He suddenly got quiet again and went back to scrubbing.

"Can we go somewhere else now," asked Blue, but I ignored him. I opened my bag, handing Blue the Pokémon egg I received, and dug through it. There was a bottle of lemonade by the grave, and I knew I had one myself somewhere in my bag. I eventually found and placed it by the memorial. The boy saw this, looking up in surprise and gratefulness.

"Th-thank you," he said, slightly louder than before. "Lemonade was my Tectonix's favorite drink. I don't even know you, but your act of kindness… It's uplifted me a little."

A small smile appeared on his lips, and he grabbed a nearby backpack, opening it up and taking out a cd case.

"Can you please take this as my thanks," he asked, handing me the TM, which I put away in its case. "Please be good to your Pokémon, too."

I walked away, leaving Blue in confusion. I headed to the small beach on the island, staring at the sand. I heard Blue approach me, carefully holding my egg.

"It's sad," I said, not looking at him. "It's sad to know that Pokémon can…"

I didn't even want to finish that sentence. Of course, I knew that everything must eventually pass on because nothing lasts forever. But, just knowing that my own Pokémon can't be with me forever was very disheartening. They were my friends, after all, and we all want our friends to be with us to the end.

"It does suck knowing that," said Blue, handing me the egg. "But it'll be all right because you'll still have your memories about them. That way, they're somehow still alive."

"Sometimes even memories fade away," I said, holding the egg close to me. "My dad… I barely remember anything about him now. I can't remember his voice, the tunes of his whistling when he'd cook, or even the smell of that cologne he liked to wear. And these were things I used to know. I know I remembered them so well before because I was remembering every little thing I knew about him to make it seem like he never left."

"I'm with you on that," he agreed, putting his hands in his pockets. "I don't have much to remember my parents by. They were hardly ever home, and when they were, they were too tired to do anything with me and Daisy. But, I do remember some of the fun things we did together as a family."

"At least you remember that. My mom will be so disappointed that I forgot so much about dad."

I felt something on my hat, and I looked at Blue, who had put his hand on my head.

"But you didn't totally forget him, right?"

"No, I… I didn't," I said slowly.

"Then don't worry too much about it. Sure, some memories fade away, but as long as you have one memory of someone, that's all that matters."

I chuckled a little, causing Blue to pull his hand away and give me a puzzled look.

"What's so funny," he asked, a little annoyed by my laughter.

"I never would have expected you of all people to say something like that."

"Like what?"

"Wise and smart."

"Did you forget that I'm a genius? It's not much of a surprise when you know that."

I laughed some more, putting the egg back in my bag. We then had our Pidgeot fly us back to the Pokémon Center, boarding the ferry at the dock to get to Six Island. As the boat took us to Six Island, I thought about what happened a few minutes ago. I had almost forgotten that Blue would always cheer me up whenever I was sad. Even though he did that when we were kids, I'm glad that he hasn't lost that kindness he had so long ago. He might be a little intolerable now, but there's still the old Blue in him. I have to remember that.

We arrived at Six Island in five minutes, and we disembarked to see the other islands around here. I took out my map to see what was around, but there were only two islands nearby.

"How long is this going to take," asked Blue as we walked over to the Water Path.

"It shouldn't take long," I replied, hoping that it was true. "Why?"

"There's still Seven Island, and I haven't been there yet."

"Don't worry. We'll definitely see Seven Island before the day ends."

When we reached the sea of the Water Path, I sent out Rain to help us cross to the island up north. Though, we were stopped a few times by the Swimmers around who wanted to battle. Blue was more than happy to battle them, his Exeggutor defeating their Water-type Pokémon with ease. Is it just me or was he showing off? I think he was because after every battle, he'd look at me to see my reaction. I would smile and clap, earning a proud grin from him. I didn't do that out of not hurting his ego, but I really did think he battle well. Though, I should give him some pointers about battle moves for his Pokémon, so they can counter their weaknesses.

We made it to the next island, which had a few houses there. However, the residents there were keeping to themselves while we were there. Only one talked to us, but that was because she wanted to see any Heracross we had. Must be some species of Pokémon I haven't seen yet. On the bright side, there was also a forest on the island, which would be a great place to check for any interesting stuff. Surprisingly, the forest had a large meadow within, all mostly covered in tall grass and with a couple trainers around.

"Blue, why don't you go battle them while I look around," I suggested, looking through my bag for my Itemfinder.

"Yeah, sure," he said, though he obviously looked eager.

"Okay, I'll see you at the exit."

We split up, he challenging the trainers here while I tried to find anything I could with my Itemfinder. I wasn't having much luck finding any hidden items but I did notice that parts of the meadow lacked tall grass. It was regular, everyday grass. Still, there had to be some reason for that. I doubted I'd figure it out soon so I took advantage of being here by catching a Bug-type Pokémon that I haven't seen in Kanto before. I took out my Pokédex to see that it was the Heracross that lady from before wanted to see.

"The chances of capturing every Pokémon is a thousand to one considering your feeble mortal body is inept for such a rigorous task," said my Pokédex.

I just rolled my eyes and closed it, putting it back in my bag. I walked on ahead and waited for Blue by the exit. It took him a while to meet up with me, but I guess it was from all the battling.

"You find anything," he asked while he approached me.

"No, but I did catch some Bug-type Pokémon," I said, sighing a little. "So, ready to move on? There's one more island to see."

"Finally."

He walked ahead of me, heading outside the forest. I followed him, hearing a strange noise as I did. I stopped, standing just outside the forest, and listened carefully for that sound. It was a cracking noise, and it was coming from my bag. That could only mean…

"The egg's hatching," I said excitedly as I took out the Pokémon egg from my bag.

"Really? That was pretty fast," said Blue, watching as the egg cracked. The eggshell was breaking apart from the Pokémon inside trying to get out. Eventually, the top half of the shell was thrown off, revealing a little spiky-headed Pokémon. For some reason, it had its own little eggshell around its body, red and blue markings on it. It had very small hands and feet, looking like it might get around faster by rolling. It looked from me to Blue, smiling happily.

"Blue, hold it for a little bit," I said, handing him the baby Pokémon. "I want to know what it is!"

"Okay," he said a little uneasily as I took out my Pokédex from my bag. I looked through it until I eventually found what the baby Pokémon was.

"Oh, it's a Togepi, and mine's a boy," I said with excitement. "Yay! Now Larvitar has a little brother!"

"Aw, shit. Togepi saw me, didn't he," asked Blue, looking down at the little Pokémon, who seemed very content with him. "I was kind of hoping he'd just see you or both you and Red."

"That's right. Red wanted to hatch a Pokémon egg with me. I'm going to have to go to that day-care later and see if I can get another egg so we can hatch that together."

Blue chuckled, and I gave him a puzzled look.

"Why are you laughing," I asked, tilting my head slightly.

"That nosebleed Red had yesterday was damn hilarious," he replied, trying not to laugh.

"That wasn't funny! He was bleeding a lot and could have passed out from the loss of blood. But I wonder why he got such a big nosebleed. I hope he isn't getting any sicker."

It was Blue's turn to give me a puzzled look.

"You're… Not serious, right," he asked with uncertainty.

"Of course, I am! He's already sick because he gets these weird, random fevers. I tell him to go to a doctor, but he tells me it's not a big deal. And after that nosebleed yesterday, I think he's getting worse."

Blue's face had disbelief written all over it, like if I was speaking in an alien language.

"Why are you looking at me like that," I asked, confused by his reaction.

"Leaf, you can be really smart, but sometimes you can be really stupid."

"How am I stupid," I yelled, startling Togepi, who started to cry.

"Look, I'm going to let you figure this out on your own. Think of it as a learning experience or something."

Blue walked over to the shoreline, still holding Togepi who was calming down from his crying. The way he said that made it sound like he already knew what the reason was for Red's fevers. Damn it. Why doesn't he just tell me and get it over with? But, it seems like it's more important if I figure it out myself. I walked toward Blue, sending out Rain by the shore. I held my hands out, gesturing Blue to hand Togepi to me. However, once the baby Pokémon was in my hands, he began to cry again.

"What? Why is he crying," I asked, my confusion obvious. "It's all right. Please, stop crying."

Togepi kept crying, no matter what I said to him, and I was making sure my tone was as soft as possible.

"Here, give him to me," said Blue, and I obliged. When Togepi was in Blue's hands, the little Pokémon calmed down and even started to smile again.

"Well, what do you know," he said, a smirk on his face. "Looks like he likes me more than you."

"But I'm the mom! How could he like you more?"

"I don't know. He just does. I guess this is what you get for having Larvitar like you."

"Agh! Karma really hates me!"

"You should probably put Togepi in a pokéball, though. We can't be carrying him around everywhere."

I nodded, taking out an empty pokéball from my bag. It drew in Togepi, who looked displeased at being separated from Blue. We then got on Rain's shell and he took us to where the last island was. However, when we got there, there was nothing there but Zubat all over the place. Blue and I quickly turned around, both annoyed and disappointed that the cave was empty and lacked anything worthwhile. That was a waste of time. Our Pidgeot flew us back to the Pokémon Center of Six Island, and we were more than ready to head over to Seven Island.

After riding the ferry for about five minutes, we arrived on Seven Island, the town there surprisingly small. Blue had to go to the Pokémon Center to heal up his Pokémon, so I went to the mart to stock up on some pokéballs for catching more Pokémon. When I was done with my shopping, I looked around the town to find anything interesting. There wasn't much here, but I could see a tall tower not too far away. I wonder what it's for.

"Yo, Leaf," I heard Blue say, causing me to look over at him. "You ready to go?"

"Hm? Yeah, I am."

"Were you spacing out again?"

"A little. I was staring at that tower over there."

"That's Trainer Tower."

"How do you know that?"

"I heard some people talking about it in the Pokémon Center. Anyway, let's get going."

I gave a quick nod, and we crossed the bridge that lead south to another island. The terrain on this island was a little more rugged, the path uneven as it wove through tall grass and the mountains. If that weren't enough, there were also trainers who wanted to battle. Even though I wasn't battling them, I still thought it was a little annoying that they were slowing us down just so they can have a battle with Blue. While he was double battling a couple, I went on ahead to look around a bit. I found a cave entrance to the side of the road, tall grass almost concealing it. I stood by the small set of stairs, waiting for Blue to finish his battle.

"Blue! I found a cave over there," I said, pointing in the direction of the cave when Blue arrived.

"Good for you," he said sarcastically, but I ignored it.

I walked ahead to go see the cave, entering a surprisingly small room. There were large boulders lined up and strange holes in the ground. I took a closer look at one of the holes, seeing that they were the perfect size for the boulders. It was pretty obvious that the boulders should be pushed onto the holes.

"A room full of rocks," said Blue flatly. "These islands must really like caves with rocks."

"Shut up and give me a boost on that boulder," I said, pointing at a boulder between two others further in the cave. "I want to make a sketch of the room before we move the boulders around."

"All right. Hopefully you won't break my hands from your weight."

I punched him in the arm for that, making him wince a little. He lowered himself a bit, locking his hands together in front of me so I can put my foot on them. I placed my left foot carefully on his hands, and he helped lift me up onto the boulder.

"This is good. I can draw out the entire room now," I said, sitting on the boulder and taking out my notebook.

"You really need to start wearing pants," said Blue, which sounded pretty random to me.

"Huh?"

I looked down at Blue, but he was leaning against the boulder, his face hidden from me.

"You need to wear pants, shorts, anything that isn't a skirt!"

"Hey, my mom bought a whole mess of these skirts at a bargain price. I didn't have much to say to that. Jeez, what brought this on?"

"It's n-nothing."

"Nothing or something," I asked mischievously, already sketching the layout of the room.

"Look, I'm just sick of you wearing the same skirts all the time. Go buy new clothes."

"If you're so sick of me wearing skirts, then let me get into your pants."

"What," he asked, almost yelling. He finally turned to look up at me, a shocked expression on his face. There was something strangely amusing about it.

"Why are you so surprised," I asked, finishing up the sketch. "I only want to get into your pants. Hm, I should get into Red's, too."

"Get… Into my pants?"

"Yeah, I think your pants will look good on me. Red's pants also look really nice. But your waists might be bigger than mine, so if I ever borrow your pants, I'll have to wear a belt with them."

Blue brought a hand to his forehead and sighed.

"You're an idiot," he said, chuckling a little.

"Oh, yeah? Well, this idiot drew out the room and figured out how to push the rocks onto the holes," I said, getting down from the boulder and showing him the sketch that had all these lines that marked how the boulders would be moved. "We first have to move the boulder I was on straight ahead."

I released Flare from his pokéball, who looked very happy to see me. The same couldn't be said for Blue because the Charizard growled at him menacingly.

"It's okay, Flare," I said softly, reaching up and petting his head reassuringly. "I'm not battling against him or anything. Listen, I need you to help me move these boulders around. Can you do that for me?"

He let out a low roar, accepting my request. I told Flare to push the middle boulder in a straight line, eventually settling into the hole up ahead. We moved around to the right boulder, Flare pushing it so that it was in spot of the previous boulder. I had him push it a few feet toward the boulder that was already in the hole, but had him stop when it was aligned with the holes by the left and right walls. He went around again and pushed it to the left hole. We repeated the same process for the last boulder until it was in the hole by the right wall.

We then began to work on the boulders by the entrance, starting with the ones that were by the ledge. Flare pushed them both against their respective walls and moved them straight into the holes a couple of feet away from each. That left only two boulders, which was easy enough to push into the last holes in the ground. When the last boulder settled onto the last hole, the cave began to shake. It wasn't violent but it was enough to cause small rocks and dirt to fall from the ceiling.

"That came from somewhere further away," said Blue, looking over at the cave entrance.

"I hope that everything is all right wherever it came from," I said, returning Flare to his pokéball.

"It might actually be close by. We should go see."

We left the cave and continued on through the path. It took us about ten minutes to get through the rugged mountains. However, we did find a house along the way, and we figured it'd be good to get a quick rest before going any further. I knocked on the door of the house, a man answering it. He looked to be about forty or something, wearing a white T-shirt and black pants. He stomach was a little big, but he didn't seem overweight.

"Ah, visitors," he said enthusiastically, a huge grin on his face.

"Hi, can we rest a bit inside? If you don't mind, that is," I asked politely.

"Of course," he said, Blue and I sighing in relief. "But… You have to do the Chansey Dance first!"

"Chansey Dance," we asked at the same time.

"Yes! First, you move your hips to the right, the left, and repeat once more," said the man, demonstrating the dance himself. "Then you top it off with a twirl!"

"There's no way I'm doing that," said Blue flatly.

"Oh, c'mon, Blue! Don't you want to dance with me," I asked with a laugh.

"No."

"I'll give you a special item if you do the dance with the young girl," said the man.

"You know you want to," I added, elbowing him lightly in the arm.

"Ugh, all right," said Blue with reluctance. "But you better promise to not breathe a word of this to anyone. This is humiliating."

I laughed again as we performed the Chansey Dance for the man, who seemed really happy about it. When we were done, he let us into his house. Blue and I sat at the table while the man began to rummage through some drawers by the wall. A Chansey watched us curiously, delighted to have guests but probably too shy to approach.

"Ah, here we go! This is what I was looking for," said the man, closing up the open drawers and showing us a weird boxing glove gizmo. It looked like it was set on a spring. The guy handed it to Blue, who looked like he had no idea what it was for.

"That's a hold item for Chansey," explained the man. "It can sometimes make attacks hit with more power than before."

"Uh, thanks. Leaf, hold onto this for me," said Blue, sliding the item across the table to me. I picked it up and put it away in my bag. We stayed there for another ten minutes before having to leave. I thanked the man for letting us stay for a bit as we headed south. It didn't take very long to reach the shoreline. In the water, there were small islands scattered randomly, and they all looked strangely alike. I sent out Rain to take us to the closest island on our right. I looked up to see where the sun was in the sky, and it looked to be afternoon already.

"Blue, when we're done with this, you want to head back home," I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired of being here," he replied.

We arrived at the small island, and I realized that there was an entrance that looked temple-like. We walked inside only to see weird hallways. Blue and I split up to see what was in here, but the room seemed entirely empty. That is until I saw a weird-looking black Pokémon with an eye floating around. It looked like it had hook on the bottom of it. Since I've never seen this Pokémon before, I did my best to catch it. I wonder if Blue found and caught one himself. I took out my Pokédex to see just what the heck that thing was.

"It is Unown," said my Pokédex. "May the constant blood rushing to your head not interfere with your insignificant ability to memorize the species name."

I then heard footsteps approaching me, and I looked to see Blue walking toward me.

"Blue, there are really weird Pokémon in here," I said, showing my Pokédex to show him.

"I know that. I already caught one, but it didn't look like the one you caught," he said, taking out his own Pokédex.

I looked at the picture in his Pokédex, seeing that the Unown he caught had two strange looking growths coming out from beneath it. It kind of looked like someone stuck sticks into it. But, does that mean…?

"Do they all look different," I asked Blue, who shrugged. "Well, let's head home now. We've done a lot today."

* * *

"Blue! You're going to get a lecture, young man," yelled a very angry Professor Oak.

We had only just arrived back in Pallet Town five minutes ago and already Blue's in trouble. We right by the lab, standing by the left wall. Professor Oak looked at me, his angry expression softening.

"Leaf, I'm sorry for what happened. I do hope that Blue didn't hurt you."

"Hurt me," I asked, confused on what was going on.

"When he… Forced himself on you."

"I didn't do anything like that, Gramps," said Blue angrily.

"Oh, you're talking about when Larvitar pushed Blue on me, right," I asked, remembering what happened this morning. "That was an accident. Larvitar just wanted Blue to apologize to me."

"Really? Thank goodness," said Professor Oak with a sigh of relief. "I was already dreading what your mother might have done if she heard about what happened. Anyway, I'm glad that this is settled. I'll be heading back to the lab if there's anything you two need."

I was really lost on what he was talking about. What did Daisy think was happening when she saw… Oh. Oh! Holy shit! My mom would kill me if she thought I was doing that! And with Blue of all people? I glanced over at Blue, who looked pissed off about Oak's accusation, and I felt my face get kind of warm. I couldn't do that with him. He's my friend and it'd be really weird. Blue met my gaze, his anger fading into amusement.

"Spacing out again," he asked, smirking.

"Um, yeah," I said, quickly looking away. This was an odd time to get a fever.

"What were you staring at this time? Let me guess… Me?"

"What? I'm allowed to look at people, and you're no exception," I explained, crossing my arms over my chest.

"But with a blush on your face," he asked, getting closer to me. I backed up, bumping into the wall behind me, and Blue put his forearm on the part of wall above my head. There was something about this situation that felt really uncomfortable. Wait, what did he say just now?

"Blush," I asked, tilting my head slightly. Wasn't it a fever that I was getting?

"Yeah. You're blushing right now. I don't think I've ever seen you do that before, and it actually makes you look kind of cute."

"Um, thanks?"

It's a little funny to hear a guy say the word "cute." What wasn't funny was how close Blue was to me. And he was acting really strange, too.

"Hey, Blue! Think fast," yelled a familiar voice. Out of nowhere, a pokéball hit Blue on the left side of the head, causing him to pull away from me. I looked at where the ball came from, seeing Red standing with a small smirk on his face.

"What the hell," yelled Blue, his left hand over the area where the ball hit him.

"I told you to think fast," said Red, walking over to me. "Leaf, are you all right?"

"Hi, Red. Yeah, I'm doing fine. What about you?"

"My day could have been better."

"Red, what are you doing in Pallet so early?"

"Having lunch at home. I was about to head on back to the League when I saw you two over here."

"Hey, aren't you even going to apologize," asked Blue, angry again.

"Not really."

"Whatever. At least Leaf and I hatched another egg together," said Blue with a mischievous tone.

At that, Red suddenly glared at him.

"Jealous that we have two already," asked Blue, smirking.

"Ah, sorry, Red," I said, tugging his shirt sleeve to get his attention. "But don't worry! I'll make it up to you tomorrow! I have this idea that I want to try out at the Sevii Islands."

"Thank you, Leaf," he said, holding my hands in his own. "I look forward to it."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Blue watching us intently, a knowing smile on his face.

"Well, don't want to make you late heading back to the Pokémon League," added Blue casually. "C'mon, Leaf. I challenge you to a game of 'Dr. Mario.'"

"Bring it on," I said, accepting the challenge. "I got better at that game!"

"I'll see you later then, Leaf," said Red, staring intently at me before walking away. I watched him have his Fearow fly him in the direction of the League. Blue and I walked over to my house so we could play the NES. But, I couldn't stop thinking of the way Red looked at me before leaving. He looked unhappy about something. We haven't been hanging out lately ever since he became Champion. I should try to spend some time with him tomorrow if he can.

* * *

_**A/N: Looks like we have some shippers on deck. Leaf's mom ships Leaf and Red while Larvitar ships Leaf and Blue. Ohohoho... So, Blue, what did you see that made you suddenly so tired of Leaf's skirts? I have to say that the guy is quite the playboy, which isn't much of a surprise since he has dated other girls before. But his boyish charm is no match against Leaf's "Oblivious" ability. Anyway, I'll be on a trip for like a week so I won't be able to update the story often because the place I'm going to has crap Internet. Sorry, but thank you all for reading and reviewing the story so far.**_


	28. Oblivious Mind, Sincere Heart

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 3: A New Beginning

I carried the basket carefully, happy to give Red the gift that was inside. In the basket, which looked like a picnic basket, four Pokémon eggs were nestled in blankets to keep warm. The whole morning I was figuring out how to breed Pokémon. I've heard that breeding only worked with female and male Pokémon, which really isn't much of a surprise. Though, I also heard that certain kinds of Pokémon are compatible with other kinds, which means that they could only breed with that certain species. I was able to discover something on my own for trying to breed Pokémon, and that was that the two Pokémon you breed, the egg will hatch into the same species the female is. It took a while, and a few eggs, to discover that.

But, anyway, that really isn't the point right now. After a lot of waiting, I finally got the eggs I wanted to give Red. With any luck, they'll hatch when I'm with him. It was noon now, and I thought that maybe Red was home having lunch. I had to rush back to Pallet Town so I wouldn't miss him. I could give him the eggs at the League, but it felt like I was interrupting his job or something. There was one last thing I had to do first before giving Red the eggs and that was—

"Leaf! I want Blastoise back already," yelled an all-too-familiar voice. Speak of the devil… Blue walked over to me, looking impatient to get his Pokémon back.

"Yeah, yeah, I have him right here," I said, turning and taking out Blastoise's pokéball for Blue.

Blue took the pokéball from me and handed me another one, which was Rain's pokéball. It took a lot of persistency to get Blue to let me borrow his Blastoise, but I had to let him borrow Rain in exchange.

"So, what, exactly, did you need Blastoise for again," asked Blue, his eyes glancing at the basket in my hand. "All you told me was that it was for an experiment."

"I was breeding him with a Ditto," I gladly replied. "I wanted to give Red some Pokémon eggs to hatch, so I bred your Blastoise, Flare, and Rain."

It wasn't in that order. My first successful Lapras egg took a long time to get, and then I bred my Charizard, and finally borrowed Blastoise to breed.

"You used my Blastoise just to get an egg for Red," asked Blue, his voice containing disbelief. "And you're going to give him all those eggs?"

"Jealous," I asked with a smirk.

"Why should I be jealous of him?"

Actually, there are some very good reasons for Blue to be jealous of Red, but I wasn't going to tell him. It wouldn't be right. I carefully set the basket down and kneeled to open it up. I took out the light brown egg that was in the basket, and held it out for Blue to take.

"Here, you can have this one," I said, smiling lightly at him. "I was going to keep it for myself, but I think you should take it. I can breed another one later."

"I'm not a charity case," he said, scowling at me.

"Just take it."

"I don't want it!"

I held the egg close to me, covering my eyes with my left hand.

"How can you be so mean," I asked sadly, sniffing a little. "I only want to give you a present!"

"I'm not falling for that shit again," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It still makes you a big jerk!"

"Stop faking, Leaf," he said with annoyance, pulling my hand from my face by grabbing my wrist. I looked up at him with watery eyes, which surprised him. He stared for a moment before sighing, letting go of my wrist and extending his hand to take the egg.

"All right, fine," he sighed reluctantly. "I'll take the damn egg."

"Great! Here you go," I said with sudden happiness, giving him the Pokémon egg.

"You really were faking, weren't you," he asked with irritation.

"You can call it that or great acting," I explained playfully, picking up the basket. "Take care of that egg, okay? I have to get going now, so I'll see you later. Oh, and happy birthday!"

"My birthday already passed."

"I know that. I never forgot your birthday."

Blue looked a little surprised but smiled, pulling my hat down over my eyes. Really, why does he keep doing that? It's like a habit now.

"I'll see you around," he said when I fixed my hat. I nodded and continued on to Red's house. I knocked on the door to his house and waited patiently for either Red or Hazel to answer it. Red was the one who opened the door, looking pleased to see me.

"Hey, Red," I began, holding out the basket for him. "I brought some Pokémon eggs for you so we can hatch them."

Red began to get a fever—Er, I mean, he started blushing at what I said.

"Thank you," he said, accepting the basket from me. "Leaf, can I talk with you in private?"

"Sure! Can we do it at the beach? I feel like sitting on the sand for a bit."

"That's fine."

He stepped out and closed the door, and we began to walk toward the beach, which only took about two or three minutes. When we arrived, Red set the basket on the sand and sat down, and I sat to his left, stretching my legs out in front of me. I don't know why but there was something about this that made me feel a little nervous. My stomach felt kind of weird, but in a good way, not out of sickness. Why was I feeling this now?

"So, what'd you want to talk about," I asked, looking at him curiously.

"I'm starting to regret becoming Champion," he said flatly, looking at the sea.

"What? Why?"

"The battles aren't what I expected," he explained, his gaze settling on the sand instead. "I'm not getting a real challenge out of it. But, that's not the main reason, though."

"So, what's the main reason?"

"You and Blue are getting really close now, aren't you," he suddenly asked, catching me off-guard.

"We _are_ trying to fix things between us, and I'm really glad that it's been going smoothly."

"But, yesterday, he was…"

"Are you talking about when he got really close to me? I don't really know what was up with that, but I think Blue was just acting weird."

"You're nothing more than friends?"

"Well, yeah, unless he wants to be best friends again."

"Leaf," he began, his gaze now resting on me while he put his hand on mine, which was resting on the sand. "I like you. I really like you. It's been horrible lately that I haven't been seeing you much. That's why I don't want to be the Champion anymore."

"Thank you, Red. That's really nice of you," I said, smiling at him. "I like you, too."

"Y-You do," he asked, another blush on his face and a spark of excitement in his dark brown eyes.

"Yeah, I can't ask for a better friend. I mean, if I didn't like you, we wouldn't be friends in the first place, right?"

At that, Red's face seemed to fall a little as if he was disappointed. Did I say something wrong?

"I… I like being friends with you, too," he said, a small smile on his lips. To me, that smile looked kind of forced, and his voice sounded like he was in pain.

"Red, are you okay," I asked with concern.

"I'm fine," he replied, looking back at the sea.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"About being Champion, we can still see each other. It's not like we're separated forever. Besides, I think Blue will be pissed off about you not wanting to be Champion."

"I suppose you're right about that. Leaf, I have to get going soon. I'll see you later."

"Okay, see you around!"

Red got up, picking up the basket, and walked back to his house. I stayed at the beach a little longer, wondering why Red looked so disheartened at what I said earlier. It hurt to see him like that. So, why did it hurt him and me? It was because he was my friend and it's never a pleasant thing to see your friends sad or hurt, right? But, why was he blushing before? Why does he do that whenever he's around me? To get an understanding of everything, I need to first understand blushing. I'm sure that when I find out the reasons behind it, I'll understand Red better.

I stood up, feeling determined about solving this new puzzle. I made my way over to Blue's house, knowing that he would be the best person to talk to about this. He did know that the "fevers" were actually just Red, or me, blushing. As I walked over to Blue's, I saw Professor Oak leave the lab, looking quite excited to see me.

"Ah, Leaf! Good timing," he said, walking over to me. "I've been looking for you all morning."

"You have," I asked, stopping to talk to the professor.

"Yes, because Red told me earlier that you've caught a legendary Pokémon. Is this true?"

I took out my Pokédex from my bag and looked through the pages to find Articuno's information. I showed Oak the page, and his face lit up with astonishment.

"Leaf, do you know what this means," he asked, excitement in his voice.

"That my visit to Blue's house is going to be on hold?"

"Well, I suppose, but that's not entirely what I had in mind. This means that the other legendary birds might exist. I have a favor to ask of you, Leaf. Can you go and try to find the remaining legendary birds? It will help my research tremendously."

"Um, sure. I can kill some time for science."

"Thank you! Please, head straight to my lab once you're done!"

Professor Oak walked back to his lab, leaving me alone. Talking to Blue about Red is going to have to wait. It's not like I had to talk to him ASAP. I have a lot of time to figure things out. I took out my Town Map, wondering where in Kanto the legendary birds may be hiding. Let's see… What are the places I haven't checked yet? I looked at all the routes on the map, remembering how they looked like when I was crossing through them. When I looked at Route 10 on the map, I remembered there was river running through there. That river might flow down to some place I haven't seen yet.

I released Breeze from his pokéball and had him fly me to the Pokémon Center on Route 10. Once there, I looked around to confirm that there was a river here. There definitely was, and I had Rain help me follow it. We reached the end of the river, a large building standing on its own. As I returned Rain to his pokéball, I noticed that the some of the building's windows were broken. A sign out front read, "Power Plant." I can't say I've heard of the power plant before. From the look of it, it's probably abandoned. Well, that reason alone makes it worthwhile to check it out. I went inside the large metallic building, hoping I'd find something interesting in here.

Inside, the beige tiles on the floor looked worn out and cracked, and there was some glass lying around, most likely from the windows. I walked through the halls, seeing broken machines and finding some items that were left behind. There were mostly Magnemite and Voltorb around here, probably attracted to the electricity around here. But, there wasn't anything on, so I don't see what could possibly keep them here. I found my way through the maze-like halls, checking out the empty rooms of any items I can salvage. Eventually, I turned around a corner and entered another room, face-to-face with a large yellow bird that screeched at me. Its wings looked spiky, and it had a long beak. Wait, this couldn't be Zapdos, could it? Then again, from what I've read about the legendary birds, this is definitely Zapdos. I sent out Terra, knowing that her Ground-type will give her immunity to Zapdos' electric attacks.

I had Terra use Cut to weaken Zapdos a bit. It attacked with a weak electric shock, which was Thunder Wave. Though Terra wasn't affected by it. As I ordered Terra to use Cut again, Zapdos evaded it easily. Terra tried again, but Zapdos evaded that attack as well, almost like it knew the attack was going to happen. After a lot of hits-and-misses, Terra was able to severely weaken Zapdos. I switched out Terra and sent out Static to weaken it further by using Thunder Wave. However, Zapdos attacked with a Thunder Wave of its own, paralyzing Static. Though, Static was able to hit it with his Thunder Wave, also paralyzing Zapdos. I then began to throw pokéballs at it to try to capture it. Of course, like Articuno before it, Zapdos was no pushover to get caught easily. I started with the Ultra Balls, hoping that one of them will catch Zapdos. I had about twenty-four of those, so one of them has to work, right? However, as Zapdos broke free of every one I threw at it, I began to doubt that. I was down to my last Ultra Ball, knowing that if this one didn't catch it, I'd have to resort to Great Balls and regular pokéballs.

I threw the last Ultra Ball at Zapdos, its body drawn in to the ball. I stared intently at the ball as it shook back and forth. An audible click was heard, and I knew that I had finally caught Zapdos. I sighed, picking up the ball from the floor and putting it in my bag. I went out the nearby exit, ending up at the side of the power plant. That's two legendary birds down and only one more to go. I still had to catch the bird of fire, the legendary Moltres. I pulled out my map again, trying to figure out where Moltres will be hiding. That's when I realized that there was a pattern going on with the bird Pokémon. Articuno was in the Seafoam Islands, the coldest place in Kanto, and Zapdos was in the abandoned power plant, a building that once generated a lot of electricity.

So, where in Kanto can one find a great source of heat? A volcano, but the only volcano in Kanto is what makes up Cinnabar Island, and that volcano has been inactive for about a century. I then looked at the maps of the Sevii Islands, already guessing that the volcano I had to check wasn't in Kanto. Mt. Ember is a volcano, and I'm pretty sure that I didn't thoroughly explore it. I put away my map and had Breeze fly me to Fuchsia City to heal up my Pokémon and stock up on Ultra Balls. I was sure that Vermilion didn't sell them, so it was best to shop in Fuchsia. After my short shopping errand was done, Breeze flew me to Vermilion, where I boarded the ferry to One Island.

I made my way to the tall volcano until I reached the base. I went down the opposite path of where the cave that lead to the ruby was, Flare pushing the large boulders out of the way and Dream smashing to the weaker boulders. I found a cave further up, the inside very warm, almost like the Ember Spa a little further away. I followed the long path through the cave until I was back outside again, now at a higher part of the volcano. I climbed up until I reached the highest part of the volcano, having Flare push the boulders in the way to check the area out thoroughly. After pushing a boulder out of the way, I heard a loud cry nearby.

There it was. The legendary Moltres right before my eyes. Its body was bold yellow while its crest, wings, and tail were ablaze with a bright red. It extended its fiery wings, crying out at me threateningly. I sent out Rain to battle against the fire bird Pokémon. I had Rain start off with Psychic, but Moltres endured it very well. Another Psychic weakened it further as it strengthened its defenses. I decided to have Rain use Surf, which Moltres successfully endured. I switched out Rain and sent out Static to paralyze Moltres to make it easier to capture. Moltres was increasing its speed, but Static was able to hit it with Thunder Wave. With Moltres paralyzed, I switched Pokémon again, sending Flare out instead. He should be able to withstand Moltres' fire attacks if it happened to break out of the Ultra Balls I was about to use.

After buying twenty-six Ultra Balls, I was more than ready to try to catch Moltres. However, to my surprise, it was caught on the sixth Ultra Ball I used. Why was the last legendary bird slightly easier to catch compared to the first two? I decided not to think about it too much, heading down the path I followed to get here. Breeze flew me back to the Pokémon Center of One Island, and I boarded the ferry right away to get back to Vermilion City. Once I was back in Kanto, I had Breeze fly me back to Pallet Town. Back home, I ran to Oak's lab, barging through the doors and startling the aides there.

"There! I caught them," I said, taking out my Pokédex. "Now can I go see Blue? I need to talk to him."

"Very impressive, Leaf," said Professor Oak, taking my Pokédex from me. "But, I'm afraid there's one more favor I have to ask."

"What is it?"

"By Cerulean City, there's a cave that's said to hold very strong Pokémon. I'd like you to go see it and tell me of the Pokémon in it," explained the professor, looking at the newly added pages of my Pokédex.

"Shouldn't Blue or Red be the one to do that? Since they're still trainers and all."

"I suppose, but you are going to be my future assistant, aren't you? Therefore, I'm going to need you to help me with my research and that involves exploring the cave by Cerulean for me."

"Okay. I'll go check out the cave for you."

"Excellent! I do hope you find a rare Pokémon in the cave to show me."

He handed me my Pokédex back, which I put away in my bag. I headed outside, Breeze flying me to Cerulean City. The first thing I did there was to ask around about the cave. A few people told me that I could get to it by going down the river on Route 24. They also told me I probably wouldn't be able to get in because a man was guarding the entrance to keep trainers out of it. I did as they said, finding the cave on the outskirts of Cerulean. Though, I didn't see anyone guarding the entrance of the cave. I took advantage of the moment and entered the cave. It was a little cool in here, giving an eerie chill that made shivers run down my spine.

I walked a little bit before reaching the water's edge. Rain helped me cross the water to the other side, a small area with a ladder. I climbed up the ladder, ending up in an area that seemed like a maze. Unfortunately, the path I was on didn't lead anywhere except to a Full Restore that was conveniently on the ground. I went back and had Rain take me further into the cave. I found another ladder nearby and climbed it, arriving at the same maze floor. But that path lead to many dead ends. I headed back to the first floor, climbing another ladder that wasn't too far away from the previous one. Again, that was a dead end. After climbing another ladder on the first floor and finding one that was in the middle of the cave, I was back on the maze floor. This time, the path I was on looked like it'd take me deeper in the cave.

It took a little figuring out, but I finally made it to the bottom floor. At least, I think it's the bottom floor. I walked through the last of the cave, wondering what could be here besides the strong Pokémon I've already encountered. I reached another pond cave, Rain helping me cross to a small patch of land nearby. I wasn't so sure, but I thought I saw something over there. When I made it to the small island, a tall white Pokémon stood there, staring angrily at me. It looked cat-like, standing upright as its purple tail swished from side to side. I quickly tossed a pokéball—not sure whose was it—and sent out Terra out of fear. The other Pokémon's eyes began to glow white, the small rocks around it rising from the ground.

This was obviously not a Pokémon to take lightly. Such a Pokémon probably shouldn't even be battled against. Wait… The Master Ball! I'm sure that'll help out against this Pokémon. I dug through my bag and took out the purple pokéball, throwing it at the cat-like Pokémon before it attacked. It was drawn into the ball, which shook a couple of times before clicking. I cautiously walked over to the pokéball on the floor, picking it up and placing it in my bag. I took out my Pokédex to see just what that Pokémon was. After a little searching, it turned out to be Mewtwo.

Hold on! That notebook in that burnt mansion on Cinnabar… This was the Pokémon it was talking about? I looked at the information, which read, "A Pokémon whose genetic code was repeatedly recombined for research. It turned vicious as a result." Mewtwo was a research experiment? I began to wonder if I should show Professor Oak what I caught here. Part of me didn't want to tell him because I think this is something that should be kept quiet, yet, at the same time, another part of me wanted to learn more about this mysterious Pokémon.

I found my way out of the cave, heading back home to Pallet. When I got there, I went to Oak's lab to tell him what I found. However, after quietly explaining my findings, I told him to keep this secret until we can figure out how to learn more about Mewtwo without making a scene. Oak told me that he'll try to come up with a way, and that I should keep Mewtwo's existence secret. After that, I went to Viridian City to store all the Pokémon I've caught into the PC, safely tucked away from other eyes.

* * *

"Yo," I said, holding my hand up to greet Blue.

"What the hell are you doing in my room," he shouted. Yep, I was in this guy's room, sitting on his bed while reading a book. One of his books, actually.

"Jeez, I was hoping for a politer greeting than that," I said, closing up the book. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Couldn't you stay downstairs with Daisy? Away from my stuff?"

"Why? You have any dirty magazines stashed away somewhere?"

"No, I don't have anything like that!"

"Hey, it's okay. It's perfectly normal for a guy your age to have dirty magazines. I wonder if Red has any, too."

"I don't have any!"

"Really," I asked with a smirk. I got up from his bed and walked over to my bag that was on his computer chair. I looked through it and took out the Itemfinder.

"Let's see if you don't have any," I said, turning on the Itemfinder.

"What is that," asked Blue, pointing at the machine in my hands.

"An Itemfinder. It's supposed to find hidden things," I replied, pushing the button that begins the detection of any hidden items. It began to beep repeatedly, and I couldn't stop the smirk on my face.

"Under the mattress, right," I asked, quickly putting the Itemfinder away and running to Blue's bed. "Typical hiding place!"

Right when I started to lift the mattress, Blue grabbed my arms from behind.

"Don't look under there," he said in a low voice.

"Oh? So you _do_ have dirty magazines," I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.

"Don't say anything about this to Daisy, and especially Gramps!"

"I promise I won't, but…"

"But?"

"But you have to come with me to the Ember Spa."

"What? Why should I go there with you?"

"I want to talk about Red with you."

"Screw that. I ain't going."

"Is that how you really feel," I asked playfully before taking a deep breath. "Hey, Daisy!"

"All right, all right! I'll go with you to the stupid spa! Just shut up!"

"Thank you, Blue," I said, chuckling. He let go of my arms, and I jumped onto his bed.

"Man, I forgot how comfy your bed was," I said, lying down. "Remember how we would have sleepovers?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes looking to the side.

"Can we do that again? I want to sleep with you in your bed."

"Please don't say that," he said, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"Say what? Sleep with you in your bed?"

"Yes, that!"

"What's wrong with that? We're just sleeping together in the same bed."

"We can't be doing that anymore because we're too old already! If you're going to sleep over, bring a sleeping bag or something," he explained, his irritation obvious.

"Says who," I asked, sitting up and putting my hands on my hips.

"Says puberty! You're a teenage girl now, and having you sleep in my bed with me is going to give the wrong idea to lots of people. Besides, Gramps and Daisy would kill me if you did that."

"Oh," I said, understanding what he was saying. "Then you might not like the idea of coming with me to the spa."

"Why?"

"The Ember Spa is a mixed bath, which means both men and women bathe together. You don't have a problem with us being naked in towels while in a hot spring, do you?"

Blue suddenly turned around, his back facing me. I quietly got up from his bed and craned my head over to look at his face.

"Hey, you're doing that blushing thing you told me about," I said, giggling.

"Shut up."

"It's not a big deal, Blue. We use to take baths together when we were babies."

"Stupid! That was when we were babies! That doesn't count now!"

"Stop being a girl and come with me already! We're wasting a lot of time arguing over this. Besides, you don't want me to tell Oak and Daisy about your dirty little secret now, do you?"

"You do realize that blackmailing me will come back to you in the future, right?"

"What," I asked, my eyes widening at the thought of bad karma. "Agh, then never mind! I won't say anything and you don't have to come with me. I'll go by myself then."

"No, I'll go with you. I won't like it, but I remember having you play things you didn't really like back then so we'll be even now."

"Thanks, Blue," I said, hugging him. "You're a great friend! That's why I missed you so much!"

"Let's go to that stupid spa already," he said with a sigh. I pulled away from him and nodded, and we walked out of his house to get to Vermilion City. We rode the ferry there to get to One Island, where the Ember Spa was. Blue seemed to get more nervous the closer we got the island, which I thought was a little funny. He can be really complicated sometimes. He's so confident and yet insecure at the same time. I remember when we were ten, Red, Blue, and I were having lunch under a tree at school, and this kid from some other class walked up to us. He looked pretty pissed off about something and started yelling at Blue for using his grandfather's fame to make himself look better when he really wasn't. He even went on to say that he was just living in Professor Oak's shadow and wouldn't surpass Oak in any way.

I stood up and told that kid to take back what he said. To me, Blue was already a great person and the same goes for Red. I didn't really care that he was related to a famous Pokémon researcher because Blue wasn't just "Professor Oak's grandson." He was one of my best friends, and I sure as hell wasn't his friend for being Oak's grandson. No, I was his friend for being himself around me. As his friend, I wasn't going to let some stranger say things about him when he didn't know the whole truth.

Blue told me to sit down and to not worry about what that kid said. I protested, but he shot a look at me that said he had everything under control. I sat down and saw a calm look in his eyes. At first, I was kind of shocked that he wasn't going to defend himself or his pride. Then, a condescending smirk appeared on his mouth as his brown eyes showed superiority.

"He's just jealous that he won't achieve much, unlike me," he said with a smug tone. "Gramps is a well-known researcher and Daisy is a great Pokémon coordinator. Wouldn't that mean that there are great expectations for me? Of course because it's in my blood, something he doesn't have, and I'll be sure to reach those expectations. After all, he's given me more motivation because now I want to prove him wrong."

I just watched as Blue stared down the frustrated kid, daring him to say something else so he can cut him down to size. One of the things Blue was good at was whenever you insulted him, he'd turn it around and make you look like the flawed one, which he evidently still does since whenever I or Red defeated him in a Pokémon battle, he'd still insult us. It was like he was never at fault, that he was perfect, and everyone else was beneath him. But that's what it looked like. There were times when insults would get to him a few hours later after they were delivered and countered. He would start sulking until I convinced him he wasn't whatever the insult was.

In a way, Blue hasn't changed much from the boy I knew five years ago, personality-wise. As confident as he is now, he's still insecure inside. I could easily damage his ego if I wanted to, but I didn't and won't. Even when things were bad between us, when we were no longer friends, I didn't hurt his pride. Although, I probably did a little when I won all those Pokémon battles we had. But, all the battles were something that had to be done for him to see me as a friend again. Yes, there were times when it didn't look like we'd be able to be friends during our adventure through Kanto, but that rivalry has changed into a friendship.

He's overbearing, arrogant, conceited, a jerk, and a bit too emotional, but… He was also kind (in his own way), fun, adventurous, and had a self-confidence that I can never have. It was that and all the great memories I had with him that made me want to be friends again. It made me wonder, though. Did he ever think of fixing our broken friendship before? Did he even want to before that night I talked to him on the beach? He did say that he missed me so he probably did. He probably didn't know how to forgive me, or even apologize.

"Hey, is that the place," I heard Blue say. I looked around, trying to find out where we were. We were already on the small island where the hot springs were. Huh, I don't remember sending out Rain to get across the sea. I must have been seriously daydreaming. I saw the entrance to the Ember Spa close and nodded to Blue's question.

"Were you spacing out again," asked Blue, smirking lightly.

"Yeah, I was," I replied, noticing that his smirk wasn't leaving. "And, no, I wasn't staring at you this time!"

"I wasn't going to ask that, but I guess you have a bit of a guilty conscience to say it."

"I really wasn't staring at you!"

"Sure you weren't," he said sarcastically. "It's not like you can resist a good-looking guy like me, anyway."

I rolled my eyes, sighing. I wasn't going to let him ruin my mood. We entered the cave to the spa, steam surrounding us the further we went in. The old man in the kimono from last time was standing by the stairs to the upper level of the hot springs.

"Ah, it's you," he said to me, smiling. "I remember you! Did you come here to do another cannonball?"

"No," I said with a laugh. "I'm here with my friend Blue. Is there room for us to get in the hot spring?"

"Of course! My attendant up ahead will take care of your things and give you your towels. Please, enjoy your bath."

Blue and I walked ahead, and he already seemed uncomfortable, especially when we walked past the spring. The attendant, a woman, gave us some fresh towels and directed us to the changing stalls. I got changed out of my clothes, stuffing them in my bag along with my hat, and wrapped the towel around my body. I stepped out of the stall and gave the attendant my bag, Blue stepping out a moment after with his towel around his waist. He didn't look at me as he gave the attendant his clothes, which were surprisingly folded neatly.

"You know how to fold clothes," I asked, looking up at him. "I hang most of my clothes in my closet and fold the smaller things."

"Yeah, I know how to fold clothes. I like to keep my clothes in drawers," he replied, still not making eye contact.

"I remember that. Why not have Daisy fold them, though?"

"Because it's weird to have your older sister fold your underwear, that's why."

"But, didn't she do it before?"

"She did, but that's when I was younger. It's different now."

I shrugged and walked ahead to the hot spring. I was considering doing a cannonball again, but… Aw, screw it. I'm jumping in again!

"Cannonball," I yelled, running to the water and jumping in. The water was hot, but it was cozy. I stuck my head above the surface, securing my towel, and began to relax from the water's comfortable warmth. The few people that were there were giving me annoyed looks, and Blue had his hand on his forehead.

"Blue! Come in already! The water is great," I called out, waving him over. From the corner of my eye, I saw the people in the bath glancing at Blue. He stood there for a moment and then stepped into the water, walking past me and sitting by the corner. I followed him, sitting beside him.

"See? It's not so bad here," I told him, leaning back a little against the rock wall.

"Sometimes I wonder why I hang around with you," said Blue, finally looking at me.

"Are you talking about the cannonball? You should have done it, too! It was a lot of fun!"

He sighed, looking away and staring at the water.

"You said you wanted to talk about Red," he began, also leaning back. "What about him?"

"I'll get to that in a sec', but I want to find out something first. Blue, why do people blush," I asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I'm really surprised that you don't know that," he said with disbelief. "But, if you really want to know, it's usually because they're embarrassed."

"Wait, so Red is embarrassed to be seen with me? And you too? Because you guys both blushed around me a few times before."

"That's because you say stupid things that mean entirely different things to me! Do you even hear yourself talk?"

"Of course I do! I don't find anything wrong with what I say!"

"See? This is what I meant by you being smart and yet stupid at the same time! Jeez, how you've functioned in society so far is a miracle!"

"Shut up! And we're not talking about you, we're talking about Red! So, what are his reasons for blushing around me?"

"Idiot, it's because he likes you."

"I know he likes me! What does that have to do with blushing?"

Blue looked at me with surprise as if not entirely believing what I was saying.

"Leaf, are you serious," he asked. I stared intently at him, making it obvious that I was damn serious about this. Blue sighed again, rubbing his forehead with his hand a bit.

"Okay, let's back up a bit," he said, looking back at me. "People blush because they're embarrassed. Embarrassments usually come from humiliation. That humiliation can range from falling in front of people to doing something stupid. It also shows up when you have feelings for someone and are afraid to do something stupid in front of them or tell them what you feel for them."

"But if Red told me that he likes me, why would he blush? He didn't do anything dumb."

"Leaf, you care about your Pokémon and mom, right?"

"Of course! I'd never stop caring for them."

"Why do you care about them?"

"Because they're my friends and family."

"It doesn't matter if they're your friends or family. Why would you care about them?"

By now, Blue was staring very intently at me, one of the few moments I've seen him so serious. I thought about what he was asking for a moment before answering.

"Because I… I love them," I replied slowly, unsure if that was the correct answer.

"Do you care about Red?"

"I…"

I stopped and gasped, covering my mouth with both hands. No… I couldn't… There was no way I'd feel that way for a friend! Especially Red!

"Why? How," I asked, grabbing Blue's arm in alarm. "No, wait… This love is the friendly one, right? The one you feel for your friends and family?"

"I don't think Red feels that way about you," he said, shrugging my hands off.

"Are you saying he loves me the way my mom and dad used to?"

"Yep, but now the question is do you feel the same way for him."

I thought it over, exploring what it was that I felt for him. Red and I… We've been through so much together. He's been with me to the end, always by my side except for recently. And I want him to stay there. I liked having him with me, exploring, talking, or just hanging out. He helped change me to a better person, and I know I changed him, too, even a little. My right hand rested on my chest, my face feeling a little warm and it wasn't from the water.

"Looks like you like him, too," said Blue, a small smile on his lips. "I had a feeling that you two had a thing for each other."

My mind suddenly reeled back to my talk with Red earlier on the beach. How could I have been so stupid? It didn't seem wrong to me at the time, but now it's entirely different since I finally understand everything. No wonder Red seemed very hurt by what I said.

"I have to tell him tomorrow," I said, standing up. "No, I should tell him right now."

I glanced over at Blue and hugged him, startling him.

"Thanks, Blue! For everything," I said happily.

"Yeah, whatever. Can you stop hugging me? It's kind of awkward to have a naked girl hug me," he said with uneasiness.

"Why is it awkward," I asked, pulling away from him. "Don't you look at naked girls in your magazines?"

"There's a huge difference between a girl on paper and a girl in real life."

"But, I'm your friend. It shouldn't be awkward."

"A friend who also happens to be a girl. Jeez, you're not going to let me live it down, are you?"

"Nope! It'll be our dirty little secret! Now, let's get out and head back home. I need to tell Red that I love him ASAP."

"Okay. The sooner you're in clothes, the sooner we can get out of this place."

Blue and I got out of the water and retrieved our things from the attendant. After we got changed in the stalls, we went back to the dock of One Island, heading back to Vermilion City in fifteen minutes. When we were back home in Pallet Town, I went by Red's house to see if he was there. Hazel, Red's mom, said he hadn't returned home yet and was probably still at the Pokémon League. I went on my own to the League to talk to him, but Lance told me that Red had left about an hour ago to train the newly hatched Pokémon he received from me. I guess I'll just wait for him in Pallet. As I stared out my window to look at the sea, I couldn't help but smile. Things were going so well lately, and tomorrow could only get better. After all, if Red stays out late training, which he'll most likely do, I'll have to tell him my feelings tomorrow. I suddenly felt impatient for tomorrow to arrive.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter is so late! Vacation has really thrown off my writing time, mainly because I've been busy with walking around and seeing places. Anyway, time for another cliffhanger. Oh, I'm such a cruel writer for making you all wait and have the chapter end like this. Ahaha, I like how Blue is kind of awkward around Leaf. He's like "Oh, shit. My childhood best friend is a girl." I think it wouldn't be so awkward for him if they had remained friends from the beginning. He may be flirty but even he's a little inexperienced with an oblivious girl who says and does things that any other girl would have thought twice about.**_


	29. Disappearance

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Part 3: A New Beginning

Today was the day. I was going to tell Red how I feel about him and clear up yesterday's misunderstanding. I felt a little nauseous from anxiety, but I guess that's to be expected. I knocked on the front door of Red's house, dusting off my shirt and skirt for anything that might give me a disheveled appearance. The door finally opened, and I looked up expectantly, my heart beating rapidly from both excitement and nervousness. However, Hazel stood there, looking a little surprised to see me.

"Leaf, what brings you here," she asked softly, a gentle smile on her face.

"I was hoping to talk to Red. Is he here," I asked, trying to glance inside the house.

"I'm afraid he isn't here now. He hasn't been home since yesterday."

"Oh… He's probably training somewhere. Okay, I'll see you later! Have a great day!"

"Thank you. You have a great day, too, Leaf."

I walked over to Blue's house, figuring I could drop by for breakfast. I knocked on the front door, waiting patiently for either Blue or Daisy to open it. Daisy was the one who answered, looking very pleased to see me again.

"Good morning, Leaf," she said happily. "Want to come in for breakfast? I'm making omelettes."

"Sure! Thanks, Daisy," I said as she allowed me to come inside. Blue was sitting at the table already, wearing a dark blue shirt and black boxers. I hung my bag around the chair next to him and sat down.

"So did you tell him," he asked, looking at me curiously.

"No," I replied with a sigh. "He wasn't home. I'll go check the Pokémon League after breakfast."

"Blue, why don't you go put some pants on," said Daisy, getting some glass cups from a cupboard.

"Right," said Blue, getting up from the table and heading upstairs to his room. I chuckled a little as Daisy set a plate with an omelette on it. I waited for Daisy to finish setting the table and for Blue to come downstairs. In the meantime, I grabbed the bottle of ketchup and put some on my omelette. I heard the creaking of the stairs and looked up to see Blue wearing blue jeans now with an Eevee following close behind him.

"I see that you hatched the egg," I said as Blue sat down in his chair, Eevee jumping in his lap.

"Like I was going to keep it as an egg forever," said Blue, scratching behind Eevee's ear. "She was sleeping on my bed until now."

"Eevee's a girl?"

"That's what my Pokédex says. I was kind of hoping for a boy, but I'll take her as she is."

"That's so sweet that I think I'm going to be sick," I said with a laugh.

"Oh, don't worry, Leaf," said Daisy, setting down her and Blue's plate with omelettes. "I'm sure Blue will take you as you are, too."

"You already have, right," I asked Blue, elbowing him lightly.

"If I didn't, you wouldn't be my friend now, would you," said Blue, cutting a piece of his omelette and eating it. I smiled to myself as I poured some orange juice into a cup that Daisy had put on the table and drank some.

"Leaf," began Daisy, neatly cutting her omelette with both a fork and butter knife. "Are you still using that Town Map? Blue seemed a little worried about you getting lost when you were setting off on your journey."

I choked on my orange juice at that, some of the citrus liquid going down the wrong pipe in my body.

"I wasn't worried about her," said Blue with annoyance as I coughed. "You just guilt-tripped me into leaving that map here!"

"I'm confused," I said, finally done with my coughing fit. "What about the Town Map you gave me?"

"Oh, see, Blue told me not to give you any maps if you came by," explained Daisy, delicately wiping her mouth with a napkin. "But then I asked him what would happen if you got lost, all alone and not knowing where to go. That's when he gave me a spare map that he had in his room."

"Blue, you actually cared about me," I asked with astonishment, looking at him for a reaction.

"Why do you make it sound like I'm a heartless bastard," asked Blue with discontent. "Besides, I didn't care. I just didn't want something bad to happen to you if I was able to prevent it."

"That's still caring."

"You girls are messed up, you know that? Guilt-tripping and blackmailing me…"

"Does that mean you're going to be gay now?"

"No, I'm not!"

"Sure you won't."

"Just eat your damn breakfast."

Daisy chuckled as we continued on with our breakfast, the same chuckle I used to hear when Red, Blue, Professor Oak, and I would eat meals with her. An idea popped into my head, and I tugged at Blue's sleeve in excitement.

"What," he asked, his eyes glancing at me.

"Can we have a sleepover soon," I asked hopefully.

"We already talked about that. But, yeah, I guess."

"I want Red to sleep over, too."

"No way."

"What? Why not?"

At that, Daisy looked up from her food, observing Blue carefully.

"I'm still pissed off at that guy, and I don't want to be a third wheel around you lovers," he said, eating a forkful of his omelette.

"But that's the thing! I want you two to get along again. I don't like seeing you guys so mad at each other."

Blue and Daisy both looked at me as if expecting something. That's when I realized what Blue had said.

"We're not lovers," I said, my face getting warm.

"Yet," added Blue, finishing the last of his food and drinking his own glass of juice. "It's just a matter of time now."

"You and Red like each other," asked Daisy, looking very intrigued. "How sweet. Though I kind of thought you and Blue would be together since he had a crush on you a couple years back."

It was Blue's turn to choke on his drink, spitting most of it back into the cup. Eevee, startled, jumped off his lap, looking up at her master with worry.

"Crush," I asked, tilting my head slightly in bewilderment of the word. Was it some kind of gift?

"Don't tell her anything," Blue managed to say in between his coughs.

"But, I think the whole story is really cute," said Daisy, clasping her hands together in eagerness.

"It doesn't matter now… And I don't think it will anytime soon."

It grew quiet, and it really confused me. Daisy's green eyes stared down at her empty plate, nodding her head a little as if in understanding. What, exactly, was going on? I glanced from Blue to Daisy and back again, trying to catch some hint or explanation, but it was fruitless.

"Sorry," said Daisy in a low voice as she gathered the empty plates, placing them in the sink.

Eevee jumped back on Blue's lap, snuggling against her trainer to try to comfort him.

"Blue," I started, putting my hand on his, which was resting on the table. "Are you okay?"

"You should head to the League now," he said, looking straight into my eyes. "Or you might miss Red again."

"You're right," I said, getting up from my chair and grabbing my bag. "Thanks for the food, Daisy! I'll probably stop by later!"

"You're welcome, Leaf," said Daisy, picking up the glass cups from the table. "Say 'hi' to Red for me."

I stepped outside into the warm morning air, grabbing Breeze's pokéball. I released him from his pokéball, the Pidgeot staring at me with an intense gaze. I told him to take me to the Pokémon League, climbing onto his back. The large bird gave a nod and took off into the sky, flying with great speed to the League headquarters. I held on to my hat, which almost fell off from the wind. I then glanced at a mountain nearby, the tallest mountain in all of Kanto. It was called Mt. Silver, but there was no way to get to it. Well, there was, but you'd have to travel through a treacherous mountainside to get to it, and the road to it was closed off because the League has recognized it as completely unsafe. I could always see it on clear days in Pallet Town, but I don't really pay much attention to it. It's like something you see every day and it eventually becomes part of the background.

Breeze began to descend as he neared the Pokémon League's building. I jumped off his back when he landed and returned him to his pokéball. I walked inside the building and made my way to the Elite Four. I greeted all of them until I reached Lance.

"Hey, Lance," I called out as I approached the dragon trainer. "Is Red in the Champion room?"

"Hello, Leaf. Actually, I haven't seen Red since he left yesterday," he replied. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but I really need to talk to him. Well, I guess I'll just wait for him back home."

"If I see him, I'll let him know that you were looking for him."

"Thanks, Lance! I'll see you later!"

* * *

Something was undeniably wrong. I felt it in my stomach. Three whole days had gone by since the day I was ready to tell Red my feelings. But, there was no word of him. Lance told me that he hadn't seen him at all at the League. He also told me that if Red was absent for too long, League regulations will remove him as Champion, and Lance would have to take his place. I told him that Red was probably out training and to wait just a little bit longer. I grabbed my bag from my computer chair, looking through it to make sure everything was there. I slung it over my shoulder and walked downstairs, prepared for my search. It was early morning, and my mom wasn't awake yet.

I quietly left the house and prepared for the long day that I was about to have. I'm going to be so angry if Red was just training intensely that he forgot to let anyone know he was all right. I'll probably have to give him a good slap for scaring me. The sooner I found him, the sooner this fear can leave. I really didn't want anything misfortunate happen to him. Besides, I will finally be able to tell him that I love him.

* * *

Panic was already setting in as I ran through Pallet Town. After trying to find Red on my own yesterday, without any luck, my fear for his safety was getting the better of me. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find him on my own. I needed help, and there was only one person I could turn to for that help. I banged on the door of Blue's house, hoping that he was home and not anywhere else. The door finally opened, an annoyed Blue standing before me.

"Are you trying to break down my door," he asked, making his irritation obvious.

"You have to help me," I said, stepping closer to him and clasping my hands together.

"What? What's wrong," asked Blue, his voice suddenly full of worry.

"I can't find him! I can't find Red! Please, help me find him!"

"Leaf, you need to relax," he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"A couple days ago, when I gave him those Pokémon eggs."

"He hasn't been home at all? Not even at the League?"

"No, he hasn't! Lance and Hazel said that he hasn't come by in days already."

"Did you look in—"

"I looked all over Kanto! I checked everywhere! Even the Sevii Islands!"

It was really difficult to keep myself calm, and I think Blue caught on to it.

"Okay, just wait here while I get my stuff ready. I'll help you find him."

"Thank you, Blue! Please, hurry!"

I impatiently waited for him outside, taking out my map to distract myself. I looked at all the cities, routes, and caves I searched through for Red. The map began to tremble, and I looked at my hands to see that they were shaking. What if something… No, I can't think that. I had to think positive and hope for the best. I'm sure Red's fine. He _had_ to be. As Blue stepped outside of his house, I had a feeling that there was still some hope to find him.

* * *

I was exhausted. I was so fucking exhausted from looking for Red, and I still haven't found him. No one had seen him, except for the times when he was traveling with me. Hazel had already gone to the authorities to report her missing son. As soon as the report was in, word of his disappearance spread like wildfire through dry plains. It was all over the news, and annoying reporters began to harass me, Blue, Hazel, and Professor Oak to try to get some information on the missing champion. They were just hindering me from finding Red.

My legs suddenly gave out, and I grabbed onto the nearest thing, which was a fence, to keep myself from falling. I was back home to see if Blue found out anything. That is, if I could even get to his house. Three days without sleep had taken its toll on my body. My body ached from all the running and climbing I did to find Red, and I had the most horrible headache pounding in my head. I only wanted to find Red. I only wanted to tell him that I loved him so this pain could end, the pain that I might not see him again.

Through the unbearable headache, my mind somehow began to think of all those novels I've read through the years. Reading books helped to distract me from the reality of not having my two closest friends with me anymore. They took me to another time and place that was much better than what I had, or didn't have. I'd get lost in those imaginary worlds, until my eyes looked up from the pages to see the world that I lived in. Reality didn't hold back its brutality when I remembered that neither Blue nor Red were with me. But, there was one thing I liked about those imaginary worlds that helped me get through the harshness of reality. That was happy endings.

In all of the novels I read, the hero always saved the day, the villain was always defeated, and the guy would get the girl or vice-versa. Even in the stories where the hero would sacrifice himself to save the day, his sacrifice was never in vain for it brought a better future. In the love stories, if the guy didn't the girl he wanted, he'd find happiness with another, one that was much better suited for him. Love was something I thought was reserved for people like my parents. I never saw myself as someone who'd kiss other people the way my parents did, which was one of the few things I remember of them together. I didn't see myself being in love with someone because I wanted friends more than anything, especially when I had lost two. But, my journey with Red had brought both friendship and love, the latter coming very unexpectedly to me.

Even so, where was my happy ending? The happy ending that I wanted to share with Red. Didn't I deserve that happy ending with him? The heroes always went through difficult tasks before reaching the happiness in the end. Hasn't my life been difficult enough already? I've lost my father, lost both my friends, and felt so inferior to the very same former friends. I finally get my friends back just to lose one again? Maybe, I wasn't going to get a happy ending. Maybe, this was a tragedy.

I hated reading those books, the ones with tragedies in the end. I didn't hate the books themselves, just the endings. The story would be so good and great, making you think that a happy ending was waiting, only to completely turn it around. It wasn't fair, to me, that after everything the protagonists did, it didn't matter and would end in tragedy. I couldn't bear to think of expecting the worse for me. Life has its hardships, I know, but that didn't mean I had to think only bad things would come to me. Despite everything, there were lots of good times, great memories that I can cherish forever, friends that will always be by my side. But, one of those friends isn't by my side, the first person I've fallen in love with.

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I looked down, my body sliding against the fence until I was on the ground. I couldn't move my legs. I was too tired to even attempt the slightest movement. I couldn't do anything, but cry. What more could I do? I've already looked in every part of Kanto numerous times with no trace of Red. It was like he disappeared off the face of the world. If I had known that this would happen, that I actually didn't have all the time in the world to figure out my and his feelings, I would have told him on the beach that I loved him, too. I never thought that that talk with him would be my last, the last time I'd see him again.

I began to wipe my tears with my hands, trying to stop crying but unable to do so. I suddenly felt a hand on the right side of my waist and my left arm pulled away and slung over something. My tears had blurred my vision but I could see a pair of feet next to me as whoever it was helped me to my feet. I used my right hand to wipe the remaining tears to see who it was. It was Blue, and he looked just as tired as I was. My arm was over the back of his neck as his hand on my waist kept me from losing my balance.

"You have to get home and rest," he said, helping me walk.

"Blue, did you find him? Did you find anything," I asked wearily, looking up at him for any good news. He didn't look at me, and I could see in his eyes that he didn't find anything either. I looked down at the ground again, more tears welling up in my eyes and blurring my vision again. I stopped walking, forcing Blue to stop, and started to cry again. Blue turned a bit and hugged me as I cried into his chest, dampening his shirt.

"I'm an idiot," I cried, grasping his shirt for support. "I really am an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," said Blue, holding me close.

"Yes, I am! If I noticed Red's and my feelings sooner, this wouldn't be happening now! We would have been together and happy!"

"How do you know that?"

"I just do! I'm so stupid! So fucking stupid!"

"You're not stupid," said Blue angrily, his hands suddenly on the sides of my face, forcing me to look up at him. "You're not stupid, and you're not an idiot! You got that?"

"But, you call me an idiot sometimes."

"That doesn't mean I actually mean it! I say it as a joke! It's just a fucking joke!"

I remained silent as more tears streamed down my cheeks, Blue wiping them with his palms.

"You're not an idiot," repeated Blue, softly this time. "If anything, Red is the idiot for just leaving you behind like this without a word. Stop crying, please. I forgot how horrible it felt to see you cry, and I don't like it."

"I want to go home," I said, pulling his hands away from my face. "I want to go to sleep."

He nodded and helped me walk to my house. If I went to sleep, I could forget this reality and just dream of being happy with Red. I could, at least, get my happy ending that way.

* * *

I stared at my wall blankly, wanting to go back to sleep. I couldn't though. I've been sleeping away the past two days out of both exhaustion and not wanting to be part of this reality. I only got up to use the bathroom or to eat. Even then, I didn't eat much. I heard the door creak open, and I figured it was my mom checking in on me.

"You have to get out of bed," I heard Blue say. So, he was checking on me this time.

"I'm too tired," I said, pulling the sheets over me. "Leave me alone and let me sleep."

I listened carefully for the small creaking of the floorboards, a sign that he was leaving my room. Instead, footsteps were heading toward me, and I felt a separate weight on my bed. I moved over a bit, figuring I should, at least, let him feel comfortable on my bed.

"Did you cry this much when we fought five years ago," he asked, surprising me a little. "I remember Red saying something about you crying before we got into a fight."

"Yeah," I replied in a low voice from under the blankets.

"Leaf, I don't want to see you like this for the rest of your life."

"Then go away and leave me alone. It's not like you haven't done it before."

It was quiet for a while, and I thought that that was it. I angered him enough to leave me alone for a while. Or so I thought until I felt him turn on his side, his arm over my body in a half-hug.

"I know that you don't like being alone," he said, pulling the sheets so that my head was exposed. "And I'm not going to lose you a second time."

"I don't want to lose you again either."

The thought of losing both friends again was too much. I can't let Blue go or push him away. I learned my lesson after my first fallout with Red. This time, I'll hold on to every friend I have and treasure them.

"Don't throw it all away," continued Blue, his breath right by my ear. "You can still find and make your own happiness. I want you to be happy."

"Damn it, Blue. Why do you have to be so freaking nice? We've only been friends for a while and you're already my best friend again."

"You did say you wanted things back the way they used to be."

I turned in the bed to face him, but I ended up leaning my head against his chest, his hand in my hair.

"How can things be how they used to be if Red's gone," I asked, which sounded like a whisper.

"I don't think they can. But everything's going to be all right. You'll see."

I nodded, hoping that, wherever Red was, he was safe from harm. There was no telling if things really were going to get better, but it was comforting to know the possibility that they can.

* * *

_**A/N: The product of an author's mind when she's suffering from a cold. Please, don't kill me for writing this. There's still one last chapter to put up, but it's something like an epilogue. Oh, and keep an eye out for the next story, which is going to be about Johto. I'm actually very eager and excited to start writing it since HeartGold/SoulSilver was a lot of fun to play. Thank you all for reading my story. I hope that you enjoyed it.**_


	30. Epilogue

Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure

Epilogue

She stared at the ground as she walked, not bothering to look up. She was tired of supposedly seeing Red standing ahead of her, only to find that it was someone else or no one there to even begin with. Blue, who was walking beside her, was well aware of her disappointment whenever she thought Red was around. That was partially the reason why it was so difficult to get Leaf to go outside lately. Occasionally, she'd agree to go outside, and when she didn't, he'd stay with her in her room until very late. He did whatever he could think of to distract her from thinking about Red, anything to stop her from being so depressed. In his mind, he swore to beat some sense into Red for disappearing and for hurting Leaf.

"Hey, look! It's Red," yelled someone, a boy's voice.

Leaf immediately stopped and looked up, her brown eyes searching for the missing champion. Her eyes settled on a group of boys sitting on a bench, pointing at a magazine.

"Yeah! And Lance, Bruno, Agatha, and Lorelei," said another boy. "I'm going to be just like them one day!"

The third boy, who was holding the magazine, turned the page of the magazine, his eyes widening at whatever was on it.

"Whoa! Check out that golden-colored Magikarp! It evolves into a red Gyarados! That'd be so awesome to have!"

Leaf looked away, continuing on with her walk. Blue sighed before catching up with her. When he was beside her again, her eyes were focused on the ground again, disappointment so obvious that even she would have noticed it on someone else. He could tell that she was regretting to come outside today, and he began to feel a little guilty for convincing her.

"Leaf! Leaf," called out someone, this time a girl's voice. Both Blue and Leaf stopped, looking to see a little girl in a pastel yellow dress running toward them. In her right hand were three strings that were tied to balloons. There were two red balloons and one white balloon. When the girl reached them, she was out of breath already, her sandy blonde hair a little mussed from the run. She held her right hand out, offering the balloons to Leaf.

"For you," said the little girl, her breathing back to normal. "I… I heard that you weren't feeling good lately, so I bought some balloons with my allowance to make you feel better."

"How are balloons supposed to make her feel better," asked Blue, earning an elbow to the side by Leaf. Leaf accepted the gift, smiling at the girl.

"Thank you," she said, holding on to the balloon strings. "Thank you for the gift, and for even thinking about me."

"You're welcome, Leaf! You're my favorite out of all the champions!"

The girl skipped away, leaving Leaf in confusion.

"The colors of those balloons make it look like you're about get married," said Blue, tugging on a red balloon. "And what's with that look? You actually thought people wouldn't know about what you did?"

"Yeah, I did," she replied, looking up at Blue. "I never thought that I'd get fans."

"You should probably visit the fan club over in Saffron City. I'm sure some people there would go crazy just from shaking your hand."

Blue looked away, thinking about what had happened with Leaf and the girl recently.

"Thanks, Blue," said Leaf, causing him to look up in surprise. "You wanted appreciation from me, right? I can sort of tell that you were bothered that I thanked the little girl."

"Of course, especially since I've been hanging around your moping ass instead of doing things on my own," said Blue, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm actually surprised that you figured it out. I'm not sure you're the dense Leaf I used to know."

Leaf chuckled, holding out the balloons in front of her. The red balloons meant happiness, expressing the girl's wishes for Leaf to be happy. It wasn't just her wishes, either. Leaf knew that her mother and Blue wanted her to be happy, too. The white balloon probably meant mourning, making Leaf reflect on how she'd been feeling the past couple days. But, it could also mean peace, something that she really needed now. Slowly, she opened her hand, letting the balloons go. They rose up in the air, drifting north from the ocean's breeze. Blue stared for a moment before looking back at Leaf for an explanation.

"It's like you said, Blue," said Leaf, watching the balloons float away. "I can't throw it all away. I'm going to find my own happiness, with or without Red."

It pained her to say that for the idea of not being happy with Red was almost unimaginable. Be it as it may, she wasn't going to settle on a tragedy. She was going to get her happy ending, and she was going to fight for it with all the strength she had.

* * *

A white balloon drifted over Viridian City, following the calm wind. A red-haired boy in a black jacket looked up to see it. He couldn't help but see it, being that it was the only thing in the clear blue sky. He looked away; it was just a balloon, and it wasn't worth his time. He walked toward the Pokémon Center to find a place to stay. After the announcement of the new Champion, his father had practically abandoned him, leaving him to fend for himself. But it didn't matter to him. No, he didn't need his weak father to be watching him. He was going to be strong all on his own, without anyone's help. His achievements will be far greater than that of his father's.

After all, his name was Silver, named after the tallest mountain in the land.

* * *

Azurill bounced happily around her master, who was sitting on a sheet with her two friends. The sheet was placed strategically under a tree with a nice view of the still bay. The Azurill's owner was wearing a white sweater over a red shirt and black shorts, her black hair done in pigtails.

"Wow, Azurill is really hyper today," said Kris, looking up from her book to watch the baby Pokémon bounce around her. She wasn't one to read books, but she checked out her book from the library, one that talked about Azurill and its evolutions. Though she wasn't a trainer, she wanted to know everything to properly care for her Pokémon.

"You didn't feed her anything with lots of sugar, did you," asked the boy that was lying on his back on the sheet, his black hair in a mess. He was wearing yellow and black shorts with a black shirt, holding a magazine in one hand and a sandwich in the other. "'Cause if you gave her candy or whatever, she's going to get a sugar crash later."

"No, I didn't give her any candy, Ethan! She's just a baby, so why would I give her something like that?"

"Aw, Kris is acting like a momma," said the girl sitting with them. She was wearing a dark blue skirt with a white shirt, her light brown hair down. In her hands was a book, but it was entirely different from the one Kris was reading.

"I'm not acting, I am her mom. She's got no one else to take care of her," explained Kris, closing up her book.

"Does that mean you're going to train her?"

"Lyra, if I wanted to be a trainer, I would already be doing that."

"Or getting your ass handed to you by another trainer," added Ethan, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Shut up, Ethan! I don't see you with a Pokémon."

"When I have the chance, I'm getting one. And then I'm leaving this backwater town. There's a huge world out there just waiting to be explored. Oh, and pretty girls, too."

"Sounds like a shonen manga," said Lyra, reading her own manga. "Action, adventure, some funny stuff, and girls with revealing clothing."

"Now you're speaking my language!"

Kris just sighed, Azurill jumping into her arms. Azurill looked up, crying out excitedly. Kris looked at what Azurill was staring at, which turned out to be a red balloon in the sky.

"Ethan, Lyra, look. There's a balloon up there," said Kris, getting her friends' attention.

"Good observation explaining the obvious," said Ethan, looking up from his magazine for a few seconds. "I don't think anyone would have figured that out."

Kris resisted the urge to punch Ethan for being a smartass.

"I hope the kid who lost it isn't sad," said Lyra, looking up from her shojo manga to stare at the balloon. "Letting go of a red balloon is like letting go of happiness, isn't it?"

"I think you're reading too much into it," said Ethan, turning the page of his magazine. His amber eyes scanned the new pages of the magazine before focusing on the red balloon. He watched as it lazily drifted, following the currents of the wind. It was stupid, but Ethan actually envied that balloon. Even though the balloon couldn't freely go as it pleased, it was able to see the lands beyond New Bark Town, something he couldn't do. He wanted nothing more than to travel and see the world with his own eyes.

"One day," he thought, looking back at his magazine. "One day, I'll leave this place."

* * *

Red collapsed into the snow, his body covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises. His pants were torn in some parts, his shirt and vest dirty from the long time it took to get to the summit of the mountain. He turned to lie on his back, staring up at the clouds above as snow gently fell to the ground. He was tired, but he finally made it to the top of Mt. Silver, and knowing that made him feel proud. Now, he can begin his training. Only the harsh environment of Mt. Silver could he and his Pokémon reach their potential and be stronger. He saw a strange object in the sky, which began to make its way toward him. He quickly got up in time to see it fall on the snow close to where he had been laying.

Red walked cautiously to whatever it was, only to see the remains of a red balloon. It probably popped from the cold temperature of the mountain. He sighed, his breath visible in the freezing air. He walked away, finding no other reason to stare at a popped balloon. For now, he had to find some shelter before the weather could get worse. As he began his search, he wondered if his decision was really the best option he had. He left everyone behind without a word, not even to his own mother.

Leaf… What was she doing now? He figured she was worried about him. And why wouldn't she? He was her friend, after all. And that was all he'd ever be to her. He should have known better, especially knowing how she could be. Yet, he still fell in love with her. He was hoping that Leaf wasn't as dense as she let on, that she would reciprocate his feelings for her. He was only fooling himself. She made it clear that she saw him as a friend, and that their relationship was just a friendship. There was no chance that they could be something more than friends. So, he had to try to forget about love and focus on something else, and that happened to be success. He was going to do everything in his power to be at the top.

Even so, he didn't think he could ever bring himself to forget about Leaf. His memories of his adventure with her in Kanto would be with him for an eternity. Nothing could replace those memories.

**Adventure (n) –**

**1. An exciting or extraordinary event or series of events.**

**2. An undertaking involving uncertainty and risk.**


End file.
